on friday i bicycled home
up and over the hills
through a snowstorm.
no complaints from me
see, when you know
winter's gone away
for a while,
you can laugh
when snow falls
and really
appreciate it
in an entirely different way
~
on those days
when clouds
hang low to the ground
and a late spring snow
holds tight
to winter memories
the wind
whispers
thin grey tales
that can be heard
in the rustling
and scraping
of empty seedpods
it's best
to be entirely alone
in those moments
winter solitude--
in a world of one colour
the sound of wind
basho
winter solitude
ReplyDeletewith no humans near, seeds speak
wind whispers in ear.
Hi Steven
ReplyDeleteI have missed your imaginative glimpses into the world beneath the world.
I agree that we need solitude to hear the quiet voices and perhaps they are just noise at other times...
Happy days
I'm the same way. Once I know winter is gone I don't mind the last few cold fronts.
ReplyDeleteI love to mountain bike and your post today has helped me recall some wondrous rides in the snow. The photo is beautiful. On first take I thought those were birds.
ReplyDeleteI know this feeling, Steven, the sense that the worst is over and even though there might be hints of it around - memories of how bad it has been - the optimism of the improvements ahead - the sun shining just over the hill - keeps all those old fears at bay.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steven, for some reason these words have lifted my spirits.
dan thanks for speaking through your haiku! steven
ReplyDeletehi delwyn! the quiet voices murmur. they're easy to ignore. until you listen once and then you know how to hear them. steven
ReplyDeletehi ellen, the morning's here are still slightly below or at zero celsius. then the day warms into the low teens - if we're lucky! snow. well it was no surprise although it was a good little storm!! steven
ReplyDeletehey lorenzo, i'm a road biker - i commute on a skinny tired hybrid and ride on a carbon fibre road bike. i've had a few tickles of interest in mountain biking and can see that in my future as there are loads of really tasty trails around here. i like that they have fat tires!!! have a peaceful day. steven
ReplyDeleteelisabeth - passing through each challenge and seeing them recede is a favourite feeling of mine. have a peaceful day. steven
ReplyDeleteI am constantly knocked flat here by the combination of photos, quotes, and your own words. Today was no exception. Getting up off the floor with a smile for the beauty of it all.
ReplyDeleteI'm unabashedly a fan of basho! Nice thoughts on equanimity steven.
ReplyDeleteAs the wind speaks, the seed heads applaud... What a wonderful picture...
ReplyDeleteperhaps it is good to know that winter will soon be gone, as if he'd never been; appreciation of winter permanent might be harder. Like a friend leaving after a long enough stay.
ReplyDeleteThere have been winters that seem to never end where we live...one month of spring/summer/fall and then winter again.According to global warming it is something that we might need to get used to so any poetry about it's beauty and the stillness of snow, the howling of wind and the rattle of seed pods is most welcomed.
ReplyDeleteI thought that that was YOUR poem/story
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, I do think winter is over
a great deal of
JOY
around here
Now I understand why these last few flakes of falling snow haven't sent me round the bend.
ReplyDeletepauline thankyou very much. put cushions down next time!!! steven
ReplyDeletebonnie- i'm not bashful about basho either!! steven
ReplyDeletejinksy thanks for that perspective!! steven
ReplyDeletefriko that made me laugh! it's so true!!! steven
ReplyDeletelinda sue - one of life's great lessons for me has been to see the goodness where there's not an awful lot to be seen. then to amplify what little there is and tell people we ought to celebrate that little gem! steven
ReplyDeleteelizabeth it's all my own writing until the little haiku by basho! thanks for confusing the two. i'll wallow in my little ego blast for a while! steven
ReplyDeletehello helen!!! you've got no control over the weather - and many other things - so why not try and find some goodness in what you have to deal with?!!! that's how i cope! steven
ReplyDeleteSteven,
ReplyDeleteWonderful words and imagery. Love your site.
I have an interview with Artist Robert Anders up on my site that is fascinating.
Karena
Art by Karena
hi karena, thankyou, i'm very glad to meet you. thanks for the invitation back to your bloggy home. i'll be dropping by shortly! steven
ReplyDeleteI know just what you mean steven. It's fun when a late snow comes - you know it won't drag on for days and can laugh and smile at its beauty. Fabulous photo.
ReplyDeleteThe angle of the sun cannot be denied. The snow can't last. Sooon it will warm up and you'll be cycling in the heat of the day through the fields, past the trees and the water. Soon!
ReplyDelete