Delightful December

Last night the snow fell.

Scampering around like a family of frantic field mice,

we pulled shovels from the back of the shed,

removed forgotten items from the yard

and added twenty minutes extra to

tomorrow's travel plans 

to deal with the

"weather."

After everything was done,

I stayed to watch the snow coat the branches of the trees

until they were as beautiful as a freshly iced cake.

The plunging temperatures caused some

to pull up the collars of their coats

and stamp an annoyed dance

onto the icy ground with their heavy boots.

I chose to watch

the golden light spill from the windows

of the houses onto our street.

It looked so cozy;
all these families gathered for a hot evening meal,

while their humming furnaces
sent soft plumes of smoke

into the darkening sky.

This frozen, wet stuff...

It's just rain, really.

Is it more annoying

because it's going to stick and stay?

Surely snowflakes

are a form of enchantment;

falling, frozen stars,

light as air,

each one sculpted, unique, miraculous.

They gather here and there

with an artist's flourish

and make something new from what was old.

Or, they melt and freeze again,

allowing us glimpses into other worlds

that only winter can help us find.

Whichever way you choose

to view it,

I welcome the snow

and all its wonder.

You Had Me At Hello

Summer...

You had me at hello

You swept me up in your intensity

And the crazy-hatted party goers

you brought to my garden

You arrived dressed in eye-popping colours

Against a backdrop of glorious greens

With the summer comes the sun

And with the sun comes the heat

June, July and August whizzed by

in a colourful, shimmering mirage

Trumpets blared sweet summer's song

filling my senses with their heady perfume

While the fish grew fat and happy

in the pond

So many moments to enjoy

So much beauty to drink in

Some scenes almost too beautiful to believe

That this is reality and not just a dream

In my garden, summer has been gentle,

Fluttery

Feminine

Fringed

Filled with colourful hues,

Stately colour shapes

And bold colour wows!

Autumn is on its way

and when I look back

This will have been a Summer

I will never forget!

Softly Into Spring

Spring calls softly from the darkness

She bathes the land in light

To lure us from our slumber

At the end of Winter's night

It's in the whisper of the wind

Her perfume scents the air

Colours appear overnight

Full of dash and dare

Hot and cold play hide and seek

In league with sun and shade

The flowers carry on as planned

Their costumes have been made

Leaves unfurl and petals twirl

Birds trill their serenade

No one can resist the lure

Of a Spring parade

What started as a whisper

Soon becomes a roar

The flowers dance, the music plays

A Spring song I adore.

Priceless

A simple bouquet of flowers,

plastic-wrapped, propped up in a grocery-store bin,

$5.00 for the dozen.

Like a shimmering mirage

their colours stopped me in my tracks.

After a long Winter

and an even longer wait for Spring

to truly begin,

I was beginning to feel as if I

was trapped in a colourless desert.

I had no idea how much I needed them.

As usual,

it took my camera,

and my all-seeing macro lens,

To reveal the magnitude

of their magic and beauty.

$5.00 a dozen,

it seems incredible...

Because what these flowers have to offer is

- Priceless!