Thursday, December 16, 2010

the back and forth

the back and forth
of the seasons
as they dance around the sky
is like
sort of
almost
nearly
holding hands
for the first time

a tentative brush
a charge of expectancy
a moving away
and then a measured
drawing near again

~

in the garden

the crystal clear skin
of winter
overlays the russet memories
of autumn


it shows up
as the last
of the very tiny leaves
still singing
in crimson


and cadmium


florets
that never opened

pink as lipstick
and frozen
in some sort of wordless hope


and as a leaf
caught
in swimming pool ice


soon autumn
will slip across the sky
and out the backdoor
of this world

and winter
will settle into
a big creaky rocking chair
pull a huge soft down comforter cloud
up and over
herself

and with a contented sigh
and frost-feathered whispers
she'll read
again
to all who will listen

21 comments:

Rachel Fenton said...

What a beutiful way to link from a fairytale to fairyland.

alaine@éclectique said...

Oh, gosh! Nature is living! Thank you Steven.

steven said...

rachel thankyou. regarding the "link". i came across catherynn valente's writing recently and it is (for me) mesmerizing. it depicts a world that is on the fringe of my imagining but i recognize it well. steven

steven said...

alaine - nature is entirely alive!! steven

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

I so enjoyed reading this steven. I love the 'soft down comforter cloud' of winter, but it is hard to let go of the painted storybook of autumn. Beautifully portrayed with your words and images!!

Reya Mellicker said...

Every day I say "wow" out loud when I read your words and look at your pictures.

Today I said WOW. More than once. Wow, wow.

ellen abbott said...

Love the new header steven.

Tess Kincaid said...

Beautiful images. The last one is magnificent.

"pink as lipstick and frozen
in some sort of wordless hope"....elegant

Friko said...

Lovely description of the seasons. I love the 'almost nearly' holding hands . . . . . and winter pulling a down comforter up and over . . . . . Think I'll join him /her.

Titus said...

Some really beautiful lines steven -
'the back and forth
of the seasons
as they dance around the sky'
and
'soon autumn
will slip across the sky
and out the backdoor
of this world'
plus those stunning photographs.
And thank you, thank you for the link!

Pauline said...

Lovely, lovely. Words and photos warmed me and delighted me, especially there at the beginning when you compared them to holding hands for the first time :)

steven said...

bonnie i loved writing this because i share the sense of loss of the "painted storybook" of autumn. such beautiful words for a boy who grew up on the painted storybook of rupert bear! steven

steven said...

titus - let the words of catherynne blow your mind. really they will. she is so very far out there. exactly where i love to spend some time. thanks for your kind comment. steven

steven said...

friko - mmm hmmm i don't know the gender thing all that well either. i think i like winter as a grandmother. perhaps it was valerianna who said that? steven

steven said...

hi reya - the only other time i've felt the space i feel when i write for this blog is when i painted every day for a ten-year stretch. the paintings are all stored in the basement of this house. the feeling in my heart, the thril in my head, the detailed finiteness of painting with a triple zero brush. it was an amazing place to be. this blog has that feeling sometimes for a day, sometimes for several days. i love setting up the space and then especially to know that i can finally share that space with exceptional people!!!! steven

steven said...

ellen - i really like it as well. steven

steven said...

tess - there're times when lipstick looks that pink and happily it's usually attached to someone with more life!! steven

steven said...

pauline - it came to mind immediately as i thought of the back and forth, the almost, of autumn and winter. they cross over and head back so many times before settling on being exactly who and what they are. steven

Dejemonos sorprender said...

Mm, so beautiful pictures.. nature is always amazing.. I really love being surprised by it:)
Greetings..

Joanna said...

Ooooh, I just love the leaves in the frozen water. Beautiful.

Golden West said...

Steven, you've really been on a roll with your poems lately! Captivating words, and paired with your photographs, most outstanding!