silence

Song of Sorrow

/ roughwighting / 11 Comments

 Early morning walk down the snow-filled street

No cars, no people, nobody but my dog and me

Tiny white flakes fall like dust on our hair

The crunch of my boots follows us into the silence.

Trees stand like white-haired sentries, watching

And then the plaintive song of a lonely bird –

One syllable high, second one low, over and over

Like a call, a question, a cry.

 Its mate is lost, in the snow, in the woods

Gone, as the bird calls and waits, calls and waits

We trudge on, leaving the song of sorrow

Behind us.

Loud as Snow Hitting Bare Branch

/ roughwighting / 12 Comments

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.