Flowing Nowhere Fast

Shadows on the lawn;

Sun has agreed to come out;

(Of course so will I).

Long shadows on lawn;

(Are they longer in winter?)

Imagination?

Pine cones on the ground

Camouflaged by their needles--

Brown on brown on brown.

Chickens are quiet

On the bright freezing morning.

(Saving energy.)

Shadows round the bend

Always point to mystery--

Just where will they end?

Between two boulders

A sharp, dark form has appeared--

Shadow or substance?

Propped against the sun

A luminous dead leaf glows

Refusing to die.

Flowing nowhere fast

Frozen stream is fixed solid--

Liquid memory.

Yerry Hill Tundra

January light;

All sunlight has disappeared

Leaving just the gray.

How many birds come

In a steady stream to Spring;

(Where is the bird shit?)

Still and immobile

Olivia/Collette stand

Like bovine statues.

Still, the stream ripples

No ice can survive in it;

The flow must go on.

Pile of dead wood

Lies next to the standing stumps--

Communion of death.

Just beyond the fence

A large beach ball is resting. 

(No one plays with it.)

Wild, free and untouched

Just a few feet off the road:

Yerry Hill tundra.

Surviving the woods

The cup will last forever--

Power of plastic.

A single leaf lies

In the currents of the stream--

Power of a rest.

Frozen in Motion

Gray sky--freezing cold;

People walking back and forth

Making their trips short.

Red squirrel mounts feeder;

Screaming human scares him off;

Such, the way of things.

Wheelbarrow hay load

Parked out in front of the barn.

The cows are waiting.

The field is frosted;

Layer of cold lies on it.

No sounds but the woods.

In the running stream

A tiny piece of ice sits--

Frozen in motion.

House lights in morning--

Dim lamps send forth their soft light;

Not sun--not shadows.

Bright sun shines on road

Bringing clear light but no heat--

A frosted brilliance.

Creature in the tree

Looks at me somewhat askew;

What is his puzzle?

Shadows Climb the Tree

Many thoughts weighing,

All about things yet to come;

Outside is sunlight. 

Birds keep on swooping,

Picking on the endless seeds

In unceasing lines.

Shadows climb the tree;

Where did its journey begin?

And where will it end?

Imprisoned leaf lies

On the other side of fence--

No hope for escape.

Sparkles seem brighter

In the waters of the stream

Aided by the woods.

Climbing the mountain--

Shadows longer than its tree;

(Will it stop growing?)

Frozen roadside pond

Conceals that which lies beneath;

(Is there motion there?)

Pausing on a stump

Shadows takes a brief respite.

Will it continue?

It's A Ghost Motion

January 7, 2019

Twelve below freezing!

Birds still fly to the feeder;

The house is cozy.

It swings back and forth--

Bird feeder when birds are gone;

It's a ghost motion.

Olivia chews,

Her mouth filled with sumptuous hay--

Each day same/different.

Solar sign lying

In the frozen stubby field.

Is taking a rest.

Though my fingers freeze,

Stream water keeps on flowing;

(I'll keep moving too.)

Today is Monday;

Sunday's paper lies untouched;

A mute testament.

New skin on the pond

Obscures the water beneath

With frozen ripples.

Great long wall of stone

Built by ancient hand of God

Guards the mountain top.