SOL19 Day 23 Rhythm of Earth

In November,

the time in my neighborhood

when the sun is close

but the earth tilts away,

 

Clouds condense in fog

and soon drop soft snowflakes

of frozen water droplets

slowly floating down.

December. January. February.

Snow blankets the area, melts, falls,

and fills our world with white.

By the creek

Where daily walks

find stories in the snow

and fellow travelers

greet each other

tentatively

silently

and cover the cliffs

of the coulee walls

where dare-devils

climb

the falls, last week flowing,

this week frozen

as the rhythm of the earth

breathes warmth one day,

blasts bitter cold another,

creating a crystal cocoon

in the lake valley

up along the hilly edges

and over the highland prairies

moisturizing the miles and miles of fertile farmland above

until finally the sprites of spring

spirit the winter wizard away

with warming sun rays

from daylight to dusk

shrinking the starkness

into a melting mess of mud,

softening the dry, dead nutrients

of last autumn’s dormancy where

blooms of the bright beauty of spring

sprinkle the earth with color

again.

 

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Photography, Video, Poetry by Sheri Edwards, except for ice climber photo by Scott Hunter, as indicated.

Slice of Life