The silence of the snow
This morning i and, I understand, large sections of this part of the country awoke to a blanket of snow. Two of my favorite poems are a tribute to snow. The first is:
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
BY ROBERT FROST
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
(poetryfoundation.org)
The second is more whimsical.
Winter Poem
By Nikki Giovanni
once a snowflake fell
on my brow and i loved
it so much and i kissed
it and it was happy and called its cousins
and brothers and a web
of snow engulfed me then
i reached to love them all
and i squeezed them and they became
a spring rain and i stood perfectly
still and was a flower
(poetrysoup.com)
Both poems are a poignant reminder that sometimes – daily really – I need to just be still and wait for the magic of the miracle. We are living at a time when we are inundated with the needs of our brother and sister humans, mother earth and the universe. One hardly knows what need to which to attend. If not careful, one quickly morphs into that state which many social scientists are referring to as psychic numbness which freezes our mind and body.
I, for one, have to be very intentional about limiting my intake of news and commentary. Even then it is often difficult to focus on small, realistic goals. Yet, on snowy mornings such as this I can set aside the “miles to go before I sleep” and stand still while the snowflake brings the spring rain which brings the flower. In that moment nothing else matters. The snow creates a cocoon of silence and stillness. Of course, I know that space is available to me no matter what the weather, but I occasionally need the arrival of such a cocoon in which the quiet stills my mind and my spirit. Then for that moment all is exactly as it should be as I put promises aside and await the spring flower.
Written February 9, 2017
This morning i and, I understand, large sections of this part of the country awoke to a blanket of snow. Two of my favorite poems are a tribute to snow. The first is:
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
BY ROBERT FROST
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
(poetryfoundation.org)
The second is more whimsical.
Winter Poem
By Nikki Giovanni
once a snowflake fell
on my brow and i loved
it so much and i kissed
it and it was happy and called its cousins
and brothers and a web
of snow engulfed me then
i reached to love them all
and i squeezed them and they became
a spring rain and i stood perfectly
still and was a flower
(poetrysoup.com)
Both poems are a poignant reminder that sometimes – daily really – I need to just be still and wait for the magic of the miracle. We are living at a time when we are inundated with the needs of our brother and sister humans, mother earth and the universe. One hardly knows what need to which to attend. If not careful, one quickly morphs into that state which many social scientists are referring to as psychic numbness which freezes our mind and body.
I, for one, have to be very intentional about limiting my intake of news and commentary. Even then it is often difficult to focus on small, realistic goals. Yet, on snowy mornings such as this I can set aside the “miles to go before I sleep” and stand still while the snowflake brings the spring rain which brings the flower. In that moment nothing else matters. The snow creates a cocoon of silence and stillness. Of course, I know that space is available to me no matter what the weather, but I occasionally need the arrival of such a cocoon in which the quiet stills my mind and my spirit. Then for that moment all is exactly as it should be as I put promises aside and await the spring flower.
Written February 9, 2017
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