teapot1

teapot1

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Winter Walks with My Dog



On a cold bright pre-Christmas morning

the sun is irresistible.



It draws us, we walk toward it as though into it,

although it blinds us white.

A luminous milk-spill running along the sidewalk.

It entices her: she stops and sniffs at a spot of bright,

as though she could lick it up or dig herself into it.



It skips along a bare branch, she thinks she sees a squirrel,

and she yells and leaps, but it’s only the light,

the truth and the illusion.





At bedtime our walks

feel somehow less cold,

as though the darkness protects us like a wrap.



The city street is quiet as a country cornfield,

only a lighted window here or there

offering a sense of comfort in the life it holds behind it.

We are strangers in an old tale,

wandering through a wood,

hoping to come on a candle in a cottage window.

A friendly hand, a meal, a warm bed.



She and I move faster at night; there are no squirrels to distract her;

only the occasional stop to sniff at a bare patch of ground.

A subliminal hum in the air

only seems to deepen the silence. Maybe traffic on a distant road

or generators from the school building

or a transformer on an electric pole.



A blue light far in the distance, a lighted wreath hanging on a fence.

The traffic signal blinks, red, red, red.

A silhouette walks around a corner; the dog goes alert

and gives a little whine. An interloper on our serenity.



The world is deep at this hour.



We turn back for home, at peace with the night and the season.


[[All images from MorgueFile]]




8 comments:

  1. "At bedtime our walks

    feel somehow less cold,

    as though the darkness protects us like a wrap.
    "

    Love that!

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    1. Thank you, Elizabeth. I enjoyed visiting your blog.

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  2. I can't imagine a life without a furry friend. Lovely warmth in your poem.

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    1. Thanks so much. Our pets do add so much to life, don't they? Not the least of which is getting me out to walk on a winter night!

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  3. Beautiful Elaine - love the "truth and illusion" aspect. So much of what I relate to in writing follows that theme and here you've wrapped it into such a lovely poem. Seems like you find a real sense of peace during these walks as well.

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    1. Thanks, Amy. That's also a favorite theme of mine. And yes, I do feel very peaceful on these walks. It's a nice way to end the day.

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  4. I love the peace I feel when taking winter walks. Although my dog is too old to really take out on these sorts of walks anymore-- I do enjoy when I used to be able to do this. I love the essence of that feeling you captured here! Cheers, Jenn!

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    1. Thank you, Jenn. I've never been a lover of winter, but I've been finding new beauty in it with the necessity of getting out of the house a few times a day with the dog. It can really be a beautiful season, even without snow. Thanks for reading.

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