dried flowers on table tops
crystals gleaming in the winter sun
mourning dove silhouettes against grey skies
cherry, apple and almond challah bread
leaves on rainy walkways
lemon verbena candles and a book about John Muir
Good Things in January
All posts by spanishwoods
Leaves
those solitary single leaves that cling to bare branches
flutter in the wind, making a dry, rasping sound—
a paper-thin plea to be heard
Longing
it was the emptiness of your gaze,
and the tilt of your head
that made a melancholy blanket of longing
linger past midnight and into the following day
January Skies
something about the slate-blue
January sky reminds me
of the cornflower crayon
in my childhood box of magic treasures
Until it Happens
The other day, walking into the kitchen, something caught my eye out the window. I stopped and peaked through the slats in the blinds and saw my son across the street photographing the flooded dock area along the river. And my heart skipped a beat.
I was not able to understand how much a parent loves their children until it happened to me. And after all the clichés and trite little quotes are listened to and dismissed, and all advice is taken and later discarded and all the bad days and the days of frustration are suffered and forgotten, being a mother to this beautiful boy and girl of mine has left me fragile and strong and terrified and fortified and humbled.
Ice Dances
tiny bits of ice hit the window,
dancing gently upon their descent,
melting softly into the cold wind
The Heron on a Cold Day
there he was,
the hunched heron
on the frozen marsh,
quiet and still—
i stood and watched him
until my ears were numb,
and when i lifted my hands to warm them
he looked straight at my folly
and flew away
On my mind lately
fairy lights and sparrow skulls
swollen winter river strands
vintage postcards on the walls
summer lined in brick-paved bands
The Fence
exposed,
the fence’s tears
welcomed the quickening thaw
Again
i want to hear the stick snap,
see the hawk’s wings flap,
stand on a stone and let the rain
wash my spirit clean again
spanishwoods 