NORTH WIND

 

The north wind blows in

Leaving winter in its wake

Till spring reawakens

JACK FROST

 

On the north winds edge

Jack Frost rides the icy crest

And winter follows

WINTER HAIKU # 1

 

A hushed silence

Had descended on the landscape

With the gentle snowfall

THE SNOW FELL ON THE VALLEY

 

The snow fell on the valley
Lightly covering every acre
A generous white dusting, as if
Sugared by a cake decorator

OLD MAN WINTER’S TOUCH

 

Old man winter’s touch

Transforms the landscape,

Trees wear a frosting

As if dusted by a baker

Snow fall blurs the edges

And disguises definition

Of familiar landmarks

And frozen streams appear

Like pure white ribbons

Casually discarded in the vale

MR GLISTEN COMES TO TOWN AGAIN

 

The snow has come, its falling fast

I dance around my room and cheer

Soon it’ll be time to build a snowman

The same one I make every year

 

When the snow is lying deep and fresh

I go to the cupboard in my room

Where I get his gloves, scarf and hat

And of course his Birchwood broom

 

Mum says “don’t you stay out too long”

But she knows that I don’t listen

She knows that it takes me some time

To build the perfect Mr Glisten

 

I start in the same place on the lawn

Where I make the body large and round

Then for his head I roll a smaller ball

Rolling it around on the snowy ground

 

Each year it takes me a little longer

As he rises up from the fallen snow

And soon he is standing taller than me

As like me each year he also grows

 

Down his front go the pebble buttons

From his neck down to the floor

And his stick arms wear his gloves

Which don’t really fit him anymore

 

Then I put on his scarf and hat

His Birch broom stands by his side

Marbles to make his blue eyes shine

And a stick mouth smiling wide

 

Finally the carrot nose goes in place

And I step back to admire at the end

Gazing at the happy snowman face

Then I say “Hello my old friend”

WINTER INSIGNIFICANCE

 

My breath plumed in the frost filled air,

As I stood in the hush of a winter night,

Beneath the deep velvet blue of the night sky,

Filled with a myriad of glistening stars

And while I stand beneath its majesty

My futile thoughts are lost in its enormity

and I'm suddenly startled

Not just by the staggering beauty

But by my own insignificance in its glory.

And as I stand beneath the heavens

I feel alone, hopeless and helpless.

While a bitter chill touches my bones.

I continue to walk on the linen shrouded land

Footsteps treading crisply in the white

And my breath still plumes, though less so

As the velvet curtain of night has gone

Hidden behind a dark blanket of cloud

And then the cold frosty night was no more

As the wind freshened against my cheek

And in that instant fresh snow began to fall

Seemingly silencing my footfalls.

Large soft flakes drifting haphazardly

Like confetti on a happy wedding day

Or cherry blossom in a perfect spring.

Soon it fell faster, then faster still

Quickly obscuring my footprints

And blinding my view, disorienting me

As a bitter chill again touched my bones

The wind now stung my face with snow

As the blizzard of bridle white blew at me

And I bent into the northerly gale

Head down eyes narrowed, almost closed.

I stopped briefly to catch my breath

And insignificance washed over me again.

I knew I must go north into the mouth of it

The silent hush was no more as the blizzard blew

And the strengthening wind whistled.

My feet no longer crunched on frost and ice

And the deepening snow slowed my progress

Each step I had to drag my feet from the snows grip

And with each step I grow wearier

Feeling hopeless and helpless again

Alone, insignificant and small,

Smaller than a single snow flake

Smaller than any of the snowflakes around me

A bitter chill again touched my bones

Then suddenly I am once more filled with hope

As I pass between the old wrought iron gates

And on into the city street beyond

And with treated pavement beneath my feet

I left the park behind me and returned home

HELD IN HIS FROZEN HAND

Jack Frost, with icy fingers,

Holds winter in his frozen hand

Until his thick winter cloak

Is spread deep across the land

WINTERS WRATH NEAR SWEEPS ME OFF MY FEET

 

Winters wrath near sweeps me off my feet

As snow and ice join the skin stinging sleet

Who would be outside during the bitter season

A sensible being would need a good reason

To be wrapped up in hat, scarf and glove

In the teeth of a storm and for me it was love

THE FIERCE WINTER GALES

 

The fierce winter gales
Howl all through the night
Whipping up the seas
And turning wave tops white
The poor souls at sea
On the dark winter night
In the teeth of the tempest
Feel it’s savage bite
And pray to their gods
To save them from their plight
As the gale blows through
On the dark winter night

IN THE FROST FILLED MEADOW

 

In the frost filled meadow

I watch the dawn’s first rays

Beginning to melt the frost

In the majesty of winter days

BEYOND THE SNOW-CAPPED MOUNTAINS

 

Beyond the snow-capped mountains

A brand new dawn breaks

Night moved onward into light

Across the land and the lakes

LET THE WIND HOWL

 

Let the wind howl

Let the tempest blow

Bring forth the rain

Bring forth the snow

Then let the frost bite

Let the ice crack

Then we can get

The winter sun back

THE PEACEFUL VILLAGE

 

The peaceful village

In the frozen valley

Lay quietly beneath

Its winter cloak

THE WINTER LAND LIES

 

The winter land lies

In suspended animation

Part of life’s eternal cycle

And with it, paused

Is its Infinite variety

But as the earth turns

Mother natures seed waits

Beneath the February snows

WINTER MAIDEN

 

Winter maiden

Draped afresh

In a pure white

Unsullied cloak

Hugging her contours

Uncorrupted

In its perfect purity

Her Pristine draperies

Like crisp white linen

Lying undisturbed

Nature’s maiden

In her winter coat

THE WONDROUS BEAUTY

 

The wondrous beauty

Of your pale white skin,

That seductive landscape

Pure as exotic silk

Fresh as winter snow

And as cold as your heart

MOONLIGHT GLINTS

 

Moonlight glints

On the silent vales

Dressed crisply

In winters cloak

Lying like rippled silk

On the frozen land

ON A STORMY NIGHT

 

On a stormy night

As strangers’ slumber

Around the gables

The wild wind howled

And rain hit the panes

Like thrown gravel

As the lightning struck

And thunder growled

LEAVING WINTERS SHADOW

 

When we come out

Of winters shadow

And it’s finally spring

There is fire in my heart.

And a lightness in my step

And the world seems full

Of infinite possibilities

THE SPRING MELT

 

The heavily laden

Mountain slopes

Slowly shed their winter coat

Beginning the slow spring melt

The snow and ice

Releasing the water

Imprisoned within it

Metamorphosing as it seeps

Into every crevice

Rivulets gently trickling 

Into dormant streams

Gaining volume and momentum

As it tumbles downward

Swelling and growing

Feeding cascading waterfalls

And white water rapids

As it races to the valleys below

THE CHILL WIND

 

The chill wind

Bitter and biting

Buffeted the house

Rattling the windows

And whistling at the door

Exploiting every weakness

Exposing every crack

To chill us to our bones

SNOWDROPS IN WINTER

 

Snowdrops in winter

Mother nature’s heralds

Of the coming spring

AS BITTER WINTER DISAPPEARS

 

As bitter winter disappears

The springtime cheers

As with each new flower

The season grows in power

Spring is here again

Stirring the souls of men

LIKE WIND BLOWN PETALS

 

Like windblown petals

The snow fell in gentle swirls

Settling on the landscape

To delight the boys and girls

WINTERS FURY

 

The wind howled around the house

And whistled through the trees

Bringing snow in blizzards

The strong winds across the rooftops

Whipped up the loose grains

And chased them like white ribbon

Across the grey slate

It wasn’t pretty snow

Nor did it present a pretty scene

Not at all picturesque

Or picture postcard

Snow was blown in horizontally

With great ferocity

And as I drew the drapes

It spattered the casement windows

I shivered and thanked God

I was safely home

AFTER THE ICE STORM

 

Globetrotting architect Taylor Scott (Tia Mowry-Hardrict) has her eye on Paris as her next assignment, but with Christmas just weeks away, the firm she works for enters her in a contest in which teams will design and build life-sized gingerbread houses, but with the promise that after the contest she is likely be getting the position she has dreamed of.

Taylor ends up being teamed with a local baker and single Dad, Adam Dale (Duane Henry), he is reluctant at first but winning would give the bakery and his designs much-needed exposure which might in turn lead him to his dream of opening his own bakery.

So both are motivated by different dreams, but spending time with Adam and his daughter Brooke  (Melody Nosipho Niemann), either in their cosy home, decorating for the holidays or exploring the town at Christmas, fosters a feeling of longing for a place to call home.

FIRST FLURRY

 

Amidst the first flurry

People start to hurry

And urgently scurry

 

For the very first sight

The first glimpse of white

The heart takes flight

 

I’ve come to know

When it first makes a show

How much I love the snow

SOFT BLANKET OF WHITE

 

A silent soft blanket of white

Had hidden the land from sight

It’s our job to investigate the crime

Really, we want to have a good time

We sledge and we toboggan

Build the world’s biggest snowman

We have a massive snowball fight

Doing battle till the enemy took flight

Then we stomp thru the powdery crunch

Making our way home to have lunch

WINTER HELL

 

The lake is frozen,

Nothing lives

In this frozen hell

Even the sky is desolate

Save for the crescent moon

Standing sentinel

WINTER HAS COME

 

Winter has come

The land has gone

A white shroud

Covers the lifeless form

WINTER DELIGHT

 

Building snowmen

Having snowball fights

Rejoicing in mischief

Is the winter delight