Tuesday, March 9, 2010

the far fields

the first hills i recall
are from my childhood

the pennines
and then also
snowdonia

as a city boy
they held tremendous magic for me

in my heart
they still do

~

i now live on a hill - the highest hill in the area.
walking to its southern edge provides generous views
of which this is likely my favourite.

yes, snow still covers much of this area!


the most distant hills are the height of land
behind which lies lake ontario
and the homes of my mum and my aunt


in the summer these fields will be filled with corn
the trees will be full and lush
and filled with birds


this lane
will be dusty and dry


for now
though,
everything is quiet
holding its breath
waiting

hope held in sleeping roots

19 comments:

Elisabeth said...

The contrast between these scenes and the way they will appear in only a relatively short while is amazing, Steven.

I can only imagine what it's like to live in such a snow lined place. We only see snow up high in the mountains and even then, there are no more than three mountains in Victoria that ever provide skiable snow.

Delwyn said...

Hi Steven

the land is quiet yet expectant
you sound expectant and hopeful
spring is a great time of renewal


Happy days

Richard Jesse Watson said...

Great post, Steven. I feel the quiet and the chill. Beautiful phrase, "hope held in sleeping roots". Hope is a hibernator isn't she? Sustaining a potentiality in advance of proof. "Evidence of things not seen".

steven said...

hello elsiabeth - there's lots of melting going on in the last few days and it'll keep on for the next week or so apparently!!! the plants and animals are probably already thinking in terms of spring. the snow - well we had less this year than most years but it stays around because the temperature stays below zero for months. have a lovely day. steven

steven said...

delwyn, i'm ready to get the warmtime life going. perhaps that's my hopefulness shining through!!!!! steven

steven said...

hello richard - hope hibernates. i have tremendous patience which is food for hope. steven

Reya Mellicker said...

Reading this, and gazing at the images, gives me a calm center here in the middle of the uprising rowdy springtime of DC. Thanks for this, Steven.

Wow, you remember Snowdonia. That is really cool.

Dan Gurney said...

Such a quiet place. My sense that the breath of life has paused at the end of an exhalation (fall), not so much holding its breath, but being empty of breath.

Tess Kincaid said...

A magnificent wintry blue view!

Lisa Ursu said...

Funny, you live on a hill, and I live in one!

"for now
though,
everything is quiet
holding its breath
waiting"

How lovely.
I can't wait for the exhale.

Kay said...

hope indeed....xx

Golden West said...

Corn fields so near! Your view is wonderful and must be breathtaking when it's all green!

Linda Sue said...

So cold where you are! I have to put on an extra layer to read your blog and look at the beautiful blue cold photos, not complaining, mind you, just saying...I tried to leave a comment yesterday re:solitude but was rejected by blog powers- what i said basically was that solitude probably rests on your shoulders like down and smells of lavendar- solitude hits me like a truck, smells of nothing. I don't know what that means- just saying...

steven said...

reya hi! growing up in manchester, one of the holiday routes we got to take was through to wales which meant passing through snowdonia. it was then (and may still be) a magical area. truly magical. ancient magical. deep magical!! steven

steven said...

hey dan - that's me at this present moment . . . two weeks of emptiness of "breath". i can't explain why other than a general overload. the dripping of water outside my bedroom window is music. steven

steven said...

willow - i love it also! steven

steven said...

liza - it is funny!!! i am waiting for the breathing out of flowers, animals, little children, birds, leaves, long days. steven

steven said...

yes kay - hope!!!! steven

hope said...

Love the new header!

And as your snow begins to melt, my daffodils are already blooming and the robins are prancing around the backyard, looking for worms. Today was beautiful but they're calling for a THUNDERSTORM on Thursday!

Odd weather the south has had this year...every week a different season! At least it's peaceful here.