A Promising Sky

I am happy to share this photo with all of you for Sky Watch Friday!

I am reminded here
In the shadows of trees
That winter is silent
In the summer sun’s gaze
Today the New Year
Promises nothing except
A clean slate
And renewed faith

Through Nature's Eyes (Pt II)

Hi all,

Here is part two of my story. I hope you are enjoying the holiday season.

The shadow of his little body lit like a blue flame on shimmering snow. He was white with large, brown spots and dark coal eyes. He thumped his hind legs and wrinkled his little nose at her. She smiled back at him. His little hind legs carved out her name in snow. The letters unmistakably spelled Mel.

Ignoring her roommate’s scoffs, Mel raced towards the door and let the cold air wrap around her like a coat. She felt the snow seep into her slippers. Her toes became one with the slippery ice. The rabbit pointed his pink nose at her like she was a carrot. Her roommate gawked from the window in an incredulous stare. Mel wondered if she too saw the rabbit.

Then, the rabbit jumped as if a gunshot rang in his ear and he sped away into the snowy horizon. Mel followed and felt her body feel lighter. She was shrinking into sugar covered snow. Her hands and toes grew furry and her ears lengthened towards the sky. A generous cotton tail shook behind her like a rattle. She could hear his voice now coaxing her:

Just a bit farther now…don’t stop. We are very close to the forest.

He talks! Mel could not believe her ears as she sprinted fast behind the little rabbit.

They made beautiful tracks in the snow becoming musical footnotes below the earth’s surface. She marveled at his dialect and speech. His hind legs spoke to her pumping fast and furiously ahead. One thump at a time. She turned behind her but could no longer recognize the campus grounds. It was a blur of trees and woods. The trunks and branches were heavy with snow. She looked into their eyes and was surprised the trees had eyes. They professed their history in their sunken roots. They wished to speak to her.

There is no time…the rabbit shouted. She obeyed.

They neared a frozen river that stretched for miles in either direction. The rabbit stopped and furtively glanced into her eyes. She stared into his dark coal ones. She couldn’t speak. Curiosity made her leap into the frozen river. It began to melt beneath her as the sun touched down.

Through Nature's Eyes (Pt I)

Hi all,

I am doing something a little different diving into a new short story. I hope you enjoy my latest work and stay tuned!!

Mel exposed herself in the winter air. At first, it was a naked arm dangling from her wool pajamas. It was turning raw pink then blue. She felt a streak of defiance. Her mother was not there to scold her. They were the sort of rebellious streaks most people would scoff at: mismatched socks; the left side was accustomed to polka dots and the right preferred bold stripes. Then, she graduated to bare feet. Her toes were not adverse to a sticky dorm room. She was proud of the messes left over from breakfast. She liked soggy corn puffs and milk in a pool she could step in. She wouldn’t want her mother to see her with a raccoon nest for hair, where remnants of dinner, a pencil, and notes from class had slept together and cooed.

Her roommate thought she was nuts, sporting nothing except bare legs and her boyfriend’s oversize hoodie. Wish I had a hoodie to slide in, Mel thought. Boys aren’t in season, ripe on trees, or falling from the sky.

A snowflake smiled at her through the window. Then, a pair of long pink ears tapped against her window.....

Splendor (Haiku)

Hi all,

Today I've chosen the wintry weather as my muse for this week's Haiku Heights.

Snow on morning’s wings
Crystal ice, shadows in blue
Icicle splendor

Fleece snow in meadows
Footprints of yesterday’s storm
Chasing spring’s antlers

Winter's Face

Winter has shown her face numerous times along the East Coast. She leaves a trail of white crippling our highways, trees, and city streets. The early snowflakes are tiny wonders of nature, but by the end of her journey, we are buried beneath her.

I hope you are staying warm and dry. Happy Sky Watch all!!

Winter Sky

Hi Skywatchers,

Here is the sky before the winter storm. I am starting to count the days until spring.

Swirling clouds
Thicken in cold air
Winter upon us
Chilling our members
Fingers and toes
Icy and numb
Awaiting spring weather

Comb (O.S.I)

Hi all,

This poem is written for O.S.I. and the theme this week is comb. The winter storm has inspired my latest work.

She combs the snow
From her hair
Lets it shake
In soft mounds
Of white
Chilly frost
Against her ears
Jack Frost’s
Lovely breath

Pours a cup
Of hot chocolate
Lips puckered
Inhaling cocoa
Soothing steps
A liquid bath
Seductive splash
Chocolate dash

Winter's Children

Winter's children
Atop snow peaks
Snowy angels
With blue cheeks
We seek
Woolly lambs
Dressed in fleece
Icicle candy cane
Sculptured doe
Our wonderland
Rivals the North Pole
Snow babies
With snowball heads
Sound asleep
In winter's bed

Sky Watch Friday: Melting Sky

Hi sky watchers,

This is my sky watch entry concluding a very cold and wintry week. Winter is beautiful bejeweled in snow and ice, but she is also cold and relentless!!

Melting sky
Warms my limbs
Icy breath of winter
Looming beneath my skin
Unfurling sky blanketing blue
Beautiful canopy enticing a swim

Thursday Tales: A Winter Story

Hi bloggers,

This is a weekend edition of Thursday Tales. The story is a bit long but I hope you enjoy it. The winter subject is a nice way to cool off from the heat. The accompanying photo is by AtXU.

A fresh dollop of winter snow fell softly on our lawn, shimmering on the street below.

“The snow reminds me of sugar,” Rosie spoke affectionately, raising her face above a mug of hot chocolate.

“No, white frosting,” Peter shouted above her head. He shoved himself between Rosie and I, his dark eyes gazed longingly out the window.

“What about you, mommy,” Rosie asked. A chocolate mustache now appeared on her pink lips. I laughed and wiped the chocolate from her face.

“I think the snow is a wonderland,” I chirped excitedly. I gathered the children into my arms, like young chicks, and squeezed them into a bear hug.

“Winter wonderland. Like the song.” Rosie was tickled by my answer and hummed the tune in her head.

“Winter snow reminds me of a story,” I said in a serious tone. Their earnest faces gazed up at me in wonder.

“Tell us mom,” Peter shouted excitedly.

“Yes, please tell us mommy,” Rosie squealed. I nestled my chicks closer to me and soaked up their warmth.

“There once was a young man who loved a girl very much. He had fallen in love with her during the first winter snow. He watched the flakes fall on her dark hair. Her eyes were also dark, and her cheeks were blue from the cold. She wore a canary yellow coat, which danced and flickered in a sea of white. He asked for her name, and she replied with a laugh Sapphine. He buried her name deep in his heart.

“He made snow angels with young Sapphine, and she threw snowballs at his head. They played until the sun lowered its head beneath translucent snow. She kissed him goodbye, and it was icy and sweet like ice. He tarried longer in the snow and slid like a seal on his belly. He returned into town, but his bike was missing from where it once laid. The darkness fell upon him like stone, and the heavens ushered in a blizzard. The wind cut against his skin and beat him to the ground. The snow swallowed the legs beneath him, and his limbs turned to frost.

“He thought he would turn to ice and breath no more, but he beheld angelic light in the distance. An angel in yellow lit his path and melted the snow beneath him. She led him in the darkness, and he took refuge in a stranger’s home. In the morning, he rode his bike on the slippery ice, Sapphine wrapped around him, and they drifted home by winter’s light.”

I ended the story and gazed upon my children. Their eyes were wide as saucers, and their mouths formed into little O’s.

“Was the girl in yellow the angel,” Peter asked.

“It could have been,” I answered. “One can imagine it that way. That’s the beauty of the story.”

Peter is restless and swings himself off the couch. “I’m heading out,” he shouts huffily.

“Put on your boots,” I reminded him, resting a kiss on his forehead.

“Me too! Me too,” Rosie shouts, dressing beside her brother. They push past me in a ball of coats, hats, scarves, and mittens. I slide into my canary yellow coat and breath in the cold, wintry air. They sprinted on like shadows. I stood in the distance lighting their way home.

Snow Beau

Lovely snow cone
Icy beau
To chill the embers
Of my warm blood

Coal eyes
So mysterious
Jolly, yet cryptic
Staring at all the women

Rustic hat
Adorns your crown
Round, robust build
Immovable in the wind

A natural with children
Stoic figure
On glistening hilltops
Bearer of winter

Smoke billowing
From your corn cob pipe
You can chill my evenings
Any night

A March In Snow

(Yesterday, New York was greeted with 10 inches of snow in early March. Winter's last hurrah!)

A march in snow

Crinkles your toes and nose

Frosty white blankets the ground

And rests like clouds

While angels nestle

In mountains of snow

Children rise in delight

And send their sleighs aflight

Snowballs hurl in rapid fire

And ice cling on rooftops like claws

The sky is illuminated a silvery gray

And the wind in a furious rustle

Orchestrates white confetti

Settling like sugar on your tongue