Solstice
(in the North)
Susserating word
Whispering in frost and crystalline
Syllables, telling us
That the time is changing
Fall is done, and winter’s here
Time for nature’s rest
Sleeping, fallow
Nurtured under blankets
Of the cold
Awaiting what’s to come anew
And those of us in candlelight
With wood fires and electric lamps
LED and Cadmium
We control light and heat
No longer are we partial
To this pace
We plant and reap in this time, too
Instinctively, we have evolved
We figure out our stride, for
Good or ill, while most
Of nature hides
December 22, 2015 at 3:53 am
Nice! I like this line: “Whispering in frost and crystalline.”
December 22, 2015 at 5:38 am
Thank you!
December 22, 2015 at 11:39 am
“Time for nature’s rest… nurtured under blankets of the cold.” Love this, Christopher! Nature does need some rest too from time to time, and what better way to rest than under a blanket 😀 (albeit blanket of the cold, but then some people say the cold can be good for the soul) 🙂
December 22, 2015 at 4:17 pm
Well, I figure nature likes a blanket made of cold. I like it when I have to throw on another (human) blanket because it’s cold. Thanks, Annie. Stay warm.
December 22, 2015 at 10:37 pm
You’re welcome, Christopher!
December 22, 2015 at 4:02 pm
The last stanza is particularly thought-inducing. “We figure out our stride, for/Good or ill, while most/Of nature hides”. Whether it being your intention or not, it makes me think of global warming and the ever growing carbon footprint that the human race has made on this world. When will our stride reach the point of “goodness?” Thanks for this wonderful poem!
December 22, 2015 at 4:22 pm
Thanks for such a specific, thoughtful response. Yes, I think we’re growing as we should, though we can screw things up in the process. Global warning is one such thing we’ve screwed up. We can do good things, too. Build peace, make shelter, feed the hungry, offer education. Sometimes I think nature waits to find out what we’ll do next.