30 minutes
bike stand
Snowed another 2.5 inches last night. Wow. So much snow. Thought about going out for a run but it feels like -2 and I already ran yesterday and the day before. So I biked and watched the Super League Triathlon Championships. Before biking, worked on adding words to the beats I created while running on Monday: 123/45, 123/45, 123/45, 123 and 54/321, 54/321, 54/321, 321. Decided to make them about the cold.
0 degrees/feels like -11
i.
Up from the gorge floor
Down from the gray sky
Under a jacket
Cold sharp air
Even through layers
it comes to linger
right on the surface
of warm skin
Suddenly shocking
jolting those deadened
deeply distracted
dazed and dumb
Sober up quickly!
Sharpen your senses!
Notice the river!
Smell! Hear! See!
ii.
Cold air heavy sky
Hard path muffled steps
Trees sing lullabies
Go to sleep.
Not sharp only soft
Dense thick covering
All thoughts frozen, stopped
Shhhhh. Hush. Dream.
Sink deep settle in
Dull numb blanketed
Wrapped in frigid air
Hibernate.
Took me a long time to select a poem for today. Finally decided on one about winter branches, which are some of my favorite things to study in winter.
Winter Branches
Margaret Widdemer
When winter-time grows weary, I lift my eyes on high
And see the black trees standing, stripped clear against the sky;
They stand there very silent, with the cold flushed sky behind,
The little twigs flare beautiful and restful and kind;
Clear-cut and certain they rise, with summer past,
For all that trees can ever learn they know now, at last;
Slim and black and wonderful, with all unrest gone by,
The stripped tree-boughs comfort me, drawn clear against the sky.