Snow Angels

FOR THE LOVE OF WINTER

a flash of red,

a shiny sled goes by

two brothers tumble off

with runny noses

and snow-covered hats, laughing

they jump to their feet

and race back up the hill

to take another run

(what fun!)

another streak of red, a flash of blue

(so cute, with rosy cheeks)

then shrieks—of delight—

impromptu snowball fight!

(and that's my cue...)

i sneak inside the house,

it won't be long

before they tramp inside with frozen toes

and shed their clothes:

four soggy mittens,

and two pairs of boots,

and snowpants, and jackets, and hats, and scarves,

in one great puddle

on the kitchen floor

i greet them at the door

with two big hugs

and two hot mugs

of cocoa to warm their cores

momma, ben put snow down my back,

says russ, with a chocolaty pout;

from ben, a devilish grin—

big brothers always win...

their happy chatter fills

the room with warmth,

my heart with joy;

each one is such a special boy

with ruddy faces and tousled hair

they melt my heart,

they light my soul

i wonder
if they know,

my angels

in the snow

Note: The typographic cloud graphic above (my "snow cloud," if you will) was created with a wonderful (but addictive) program called Wordle. The poem, by yours truly, harkens back to a snowy day—a very long time ago...

My Kind of Humor

(TYPE TEE HEE!  :)

"Haikus are easy

But sometimes they don't make sense
Refrigerator"

Get your type tee here!

Winter, Fare Thee Well

WELCOME, SPRING!

Tired gray piles
of granular snow
sit slumped by the roadside
waiting to melt
in the warm noonday sun.

Beneath them
the slender
and varicose
leaves of crocus
tentatively, cautiously,
poke their heads up
through the soil.

With each day,
the piles recede
and the grasslike blades
grow taller.

Eventually
(finally!)
the snow does melt
and the crocus do
pop out
as if to say,

“Welcome, spring!”


I was inspired by April's being National Poetry Month, and by the crocus photos I took recently, and the unseasonably warm & sunny weather we've been having of late, to write and post this poem today.

Happy National Poetry Month

FORGOTTEN MEMORY

LACA's Spoken Word
Last week I planned to attend the April installment of the Lamprey Arts & Culture Alliance's Spoken Word, and to take a photo or two for mine and LACA's blog while I was there.

As you'll notice, there are no poetry reading photos posted here. That's because I was at work on a design project (totally immersed, in what I call "the zone") and completely lost track of time—again. Fortunately, I finally remembered where I was supposed to be, closed up shop, and dashed across the street; arriving in time—camera in hand, even!—to enjoy the last hour or so of readings. Not so fortunately, I forgot to bring along the camera's memory stick.

How ironic (and yet pathetic at the same time! :)

The poetry reading was awesome, however. Such a talented (and fun) group of individuals! And the surprising thing is, if you happened upon most of them on the street, you'd never guess that they wrote poetry. So if you find yourself with some free time on the second Thursday night of the month, make your way to Crackskull's in downtown Newmarket, NH, grab yourself a chai tea, pull up a chair and have a listen. You'll be in for a treat. Better still, bring along one of your own written creations—or a favorite poem by another poet; everyone is welcome and encouraged to share.

Poetry on the fly
So, since I didn't get to put up photos from our Spoken Word, check out this wonderful "street poems" video shot in Dublin—what fun!

street poems :: dublin 2009 from ze frank on Vimeo.