Loud as Snow Hitting Bare Branch

/ roughwighting

As the snow fell like rain

soft and fast and serious

my family of four sat in front of the fire

warmed by the presence of each other.

 

Soft and fast and serious

our talk ran from weather to food to walks

warmed by the presence of each other

the sight outside was miraculous.

 

Our talk ran from weather to food to walks

and my grown-up son winked at me

the sight outside was miraculous

so he suggested a brisk walk in the woods.

 

And my grown-up son winked at me

as I pulled on heavy jeans and a warm coat

so he suggested a brisk walk in the woods

just mom and son braving the storm.

 

As I pulled on heavy jeans and a warm coat

I felt the frosty air and fierce snow billow round

just the mom and son braving the storm

walking into woods that quietly accepted this gift.

 

I felt the frosty air and fierce snow billow round

as our talk swirled round us likewise

walking into woods that quietly accepted this gift

of silence loud as snow hitting bare branch.

 

As our talk swirled round us likewise

my son told me his thoughts and dreams

of silence loud as snow hitting bare branch

of love and fears and theology.

 

My son told me his thoughts and dreams

as we crunched through tender white ground

of love and fears and theology

of a young man searching for answers to life.

 

As we crunched through the tender white ground

soft and fast and furious

a young man searching for answers to life

warmed by the presence of each other.

12 thoughts on “Loud as Snow Hitting Bare Branch”

  2. Oh Pam- more poetry please! It’s interesting: in the same way that your stories unfold rather than being presented in full form, your poetry does this too. I know, it may be the form of this poem but still, I felt your conversation and your sight into your son’s life develop as the words rolled forward on the page. More more more, and thank you for this “break of beauty” in my otherwise meaningless time spent on the internet. Happy new year!

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  3. The scenes, connections, and love your words evoke touch deeply….

    (I loved Shannon’s remark, “…thank you for this “break of beauty” in my otherwise meaningless time spent on the internet.” I spent most of my time around Christmas until now away from the computer and the internet. At first I felt guilty leaving “e-things” undone, then I let freedom ring! Happy New Year one and all.)

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    • I know, how can we ‘walk in the snow,’ or up the Belvedere hills, if we’re e-mailing and googling the recipe for pea soup?? :+) Poets and writers must avoid the temptation of the computer’s easy distractions.

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    • This is a Pantoum Poem. Not to get too technical, but here’s how it works: Pantoum Poetry

      The pantoum consists of a series of quatrains rhyming ABAB in which the second and fourth lines of a quatrain recur as the first and third lines in the succeeding quatrain; each quatrain introduces a new second rhyme as BCBC, CDCD. The first line of the series recurs as the last line of the closing quatrain, and third line of the poem recurs as the second line of the closing quatrain, rhyming ZAZA.

      The design is simple:

      Line 1
      Line 2
      Line 3
      Line 4

      Line 5 (repeat of line 2)
      Line 6
      Line 7 (repeat of line 4)
      Line 8

      Continue with as many stanzas as you wish, but the ending stanza then repeats the second and fourth lines of the previous stanza (as its first and third lines), and also repeats the third line of the first stanza, as its second line, and the first line of the first stanza as its fourth. So the first line of the poem is also the last.

      Last stanza:

      Line 2 of previous stanza
      Line 3 of first stanza
      Line 4 of previous stanza
      Line 1 of first stanza

      Glad you asked? :+) Thanks Sue C.

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