Wednesday, January 20, 2010

the sky through fingers

the sky has been
filled
with clouds.

trace amounts
of snow
falls from them.

i keep looking up
waiting
for more
and what i see
is the sky
through the fingers
of trees with more patience than i.

the wise
winter trees
whose voices say
accept
that what is

is.


winter trees

all the complicated details
of the attiring and
the disattiring are completed!


a liquid moon
moves gently among
the long branches.


thus having prepared their buds
against a sure winter
the wise trees
stand sleeping in the cold.

37 comments:

Kathleen said...

oooooo....so beautiful! I had that same sensation during my week-long retreat up north: the lesson of patience, the appreciation of what is. Love the william carlos williams poem. Good lord but that man's way with words is stunning. Thanks for sharing these shots, Steven. Peace~

Dan Gurney said...

Trees' Wisdom

trees reach up--light, sky
trees root down--dark, solid ground
breathe life, give food: Wise.

Jenny Stevning said...

Yet another speechless post...
**************************************

:)
Thank you!

Crafty Green Poet said...

I love winter trees too, lovely combination of photos and words

NanU said...

Beautiful photos. That time of day is my favorite shade of blue.

Rachel Fenton said...

"through the fingers
of trees with more patience than i." - really touching (no pun intended - I pun unintentionally all the time - BLD - British literacy disease! Or PD - pun disorder, or.....)

steven said...

hi kathleen - patience that involves understanding and care, trying to know, being inside the moment or process as compared to being in control of it - that's what i wish for more of and it's funny but as i get older, it arrives in that form slowly but surely! have a lovely day. steven

steven said...

dan - more poetic and insightful words!!!! thankyou so much. have a peaceful day. steven

steven said...

hello jenny stevning! thankyou for more stars!!! have a lovely day. steven

Anonymous said...

Nice work, Steven, though some might not call it work. I prefer a labor of love.

I hope you do get to watch Sunrise Earth. I try to watch it every day and even pay extra to see it in high definition. Yesterday was Iceland. Today is Argentinean Seals and Elephant Seals. I suppose close to Argentina.

steven said...

thankyou for visiting crafty green!!!! there's a stark softness about them that i really enjoy. steven

steven said...

hello nanu - in the second photograph there's just the slightest blush of the lowering sun - these are taken around four in the afternoon. have a lovely day. steven

steven said...

hello rachel - no problem about the puns - i was born in england and have much of the english about me including - a passion for punnish thinking. have a super day. steven

steven said...

hi abe - there's very little work involved as you suggest - i really love creating words and photographs for this blog!!!
thanks for the heads-up about sunrise earth! i will be watching the iceland episode this evening with my son who for his sixteenth birthday will be travelling to iceland with me in 2011!! have a lovely day. steven

Golden West said...

Our trees didn't do much sleeping yesterday - we had heavy winds and a tornado warming around 2 in the afternoon - very uncommon for these parts! No tornadoes materialized, but several water spouts were sighted over the Pacific. The wind knocked down the power lines - quite a lot of excitement, all in all.

Barry said...

To have the patience of a tree, Steven! Or even a twig.

I have a lot to learn.

Bee said...

I keep trying to accept what is, Steven! (Mantra: I will love winter in all of its stark gray beauty.) I will admit, though, that I looked around for some green shoots and buds this morning. We have big wet clumps of snow today.

Thank you for your birthday wishes!

Butternut Squash said...

Soft buds full of promise
Ever reaching upward
Even in the dark and cold of winter
demonstrate their gratitude

Like a woman on her knees
Her face serene in presence
Her palms reaching up to touch
the will of God

So much poetry in your images.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I love winter trees steven, particularly against a clear blue sky.

Linda Sue said...

We had a winter like yours last year...everyone lost patience- there was a rush on the pharmacies for anti non patient pills- there were suicides. The weather learned it's lesson- this year we have an early spring, the air is warm-nice break! I love the William Carlos William's poem- trees are admirable- sleeping in such cold, even when they become brittle and break- never heard a complaint! I want to be a tree when I grow up...
Happy birthday - sixteen years old! WOW!Doesn't your heart want to explode?

ellen abbott said...

Accept that what is...is. Yes.

Kay said...

hi steven..when i first looked at these pictures i thought they were birds roosting!!! must get glasses!!....i now know they are not..but i love them anyway...xx

Reya Mellicker said...

I wonder why the snow gods are being so stingy with y'all this year?

However, it's heartening to see how you make the best of everything, Steven. You are very good at that. You are.

Titus said...

Just beautiful steven, and I love, love, love this part:

through the fingers
of trees with more patience than i.

the wise
winter trees
whose voices say
accept
that what is

is.

Stacey J. Warner said...

those photographs take my breath away...steven, thank you for sharing such beauty with us.

much love

steven said...

wow golden west! our weather experiences are so different. i saw a weather spout once when i was staying on an out island in the bahamas. that's serious weather. have a peaceful and safe evening. steven

steven said...

barry i'm with you - i'm patient - patient in ways you might not even believe but in some respects i really wish things would happen or change or whatever. i'm getting there. steven

steven said...

bee you're so welcome!!! i let whatever beauty is there come into me. do i wish for things - well yes i do bee!!! green shoots and buds would be lovely but i also wish for some big snowstorms and some colder weather and especially for lots of clear sky days!!!! have a lovely evening. steven

steven said...

butternut - i'm so grateful for the gift of your poetry here!!! there are days when i wonder at my incredible fortune!!! thankyou so much. steven

steven said...

weaver that's what i am looking forward to returning to us - it's been foggy, cloudy and fuzzy and muzzy for a few days and this is a bad time of year for most human beings who like sunlight. i'm making the best of it but i'm with you. trees stark against a clear sky!!!! steven

steven said...

linda sue you're so funny and insightful and then you!!!! thanks for this cool comment. steven

steven said...

ellen - yes. it's a fast growing up for a boy turning fifty three as my life becomes me so quickly! steven

steven said...

kay they could easily be birds roosting but they're actually sumac trees in mid-winter. leave the glasses on the sideboard and enjoy the fuzzy world you know and love!!! steven

steven said...

reya - the snow gods are breathing in and then kablooey! it'll be there in a big pile and people'll be crazed because their lives are messed up by the snow!!! oh no the snow!!! i find goodness - it's not hard to find really eh reya!!! steven

steven said...

titus - there's so much that leads from that into personal lives - mine, maybe yours, maybe other visitors. nature provides so many metaphors. have a peaceful evening. steven

steven said...

stacey j you are more than welcome. i'm grateful for your generous comment. steven

Delwyn said...

Steven

thank you for your words
thank you for your images
and thank you for his words

a winning trifecta...

Happy days