Happy Poetry Friday! 

This week, we are hosted by Susan Thomsen.  Please visit Susan at Chicken Spaghetti for a poem about Año Nuevo and a beautiful tradition.

Recently, I have enjoyed time outdoors in the snowy woods of Connecticut.  I couldn’t help but admire at the beauty of nature, but also the human touch that appeared in some of these excursions.

During the first significant snowfall of the year, my husband, my dog, and I went sledding.  We tried to convince some neighborhood kids to come with us to make it look like we had a reason to be there, but there were none to be found.  We did not let that deter us.

Admittedly, my steering attempts are futile.  I'll just say, the hill is a lot steeper than it looks in the video!

The next day, we took at hike at a local park.  Although, it was an overcast day, nature offered beauty amidst the dreariness.

Here the human influence sneaks in, but hopefully in a way that makes you smile.

The next day was sunny, and I couldn’t resist one more trip back to see the snow and ice drops reflecting the sunshine.

The pictures from the overcast day led me to the following poem:

Winter Woods

By Eleanor Hammond 

The winter wood is like a strong old man,
Grizzled, rugged, and gray,
With long white locks tattered by many storms.
He lifts gnarled arms defiant of the blasts,
And rears his old head proudly
Under the menace of the winter sky.
Source: Eleanor Hammond. "Winter Woods." Family Friend Poems, https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/winter-woods-by-eleanor-hammond

My hope is that wherever you are, whatever season it is, that you are able to breathe fresh air and spend some time surrounded by nature.

39 comments

  • Gorgeous, gorgeous snow! We got two snow falls last week. Then it was 80 degrees yesterday--yep, I wanted to go sun-bathing! 
  • Lovely photos, Tracey. You certainly took advantage of the snow from start to finish. And I love the Eleanor Hammond poem - it's going in my notebook.
  • Thanks for taking us along for three days in a row of snow-fun! I agree with the way Hammond personified Winter...although to Marcie's point about the way the thermometer's been swinging, I half wonder if he's really a kind of two-faced Janus!
  • What a treat to follow your prose and photos through your wintertime journey...and to your final poem! I love the personification of Winter as an old man and his defiant stance. You've created such a great mood with your word choice (grizzled, tattered, rears, menace...)
  • Tracey, you're in CT, too? Small world! We are on the coast in the SW part of the state. I enjoyed your snow pics and the poem!
    • We are in the northeastern part of the state, but nothing is very far apart in CT!  You probably did not get the same snow by the shore though. : (
  • Love the defiance of that old man. And, what gorgeous photos of some precious time out in the winter. What a gift this post is. I had a snow day a week ago Friday, but yesterday was in the 70s. Crazy weather. I need to find ways to enjoy it as it happens. Your photos are perfectly paired with Hammond's poem.
  • Loved seeing you sled and cleverly avoiding those trees! Your photos are gorgeous and I wished I was sledding. I like seeing the winter as a grizzled gray old man. Thanks for sharing ! 
  • Ooh, love this powerful poem. Kind of brutal. Thanks for sharing it and your pictures! We've been grey all week. No snow on the ground. Rather depressing.
  • What gorgeous photos! Until that blue sky beckoned, they were almost like sepia prints! We're a bit like you on rain days, when the creeks start running; never too old to be out celebrating!

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