The Winter It Didn't Snow

The winter it didn't snow,
I lost two pairs of slippers.
I stood in steaming showers.
I left the blinds broke-open after dark.

The winter it didn't snow,
I peeled and crunched on carrots.
I trailed a hawk out hunting.
I practiced yoga, cat and cowed, pigeon-toed.

The winter it didn't snow,
I met the sunrise, sunset.
I listened to those engines.
I tended potted plants with faith and fuss. 

The winter it didn't snow,
I scribbled a.m. hope notes.
I remembered California.
I found myself entranced again with techno.

The winter it didn't snow,
I held my love like hunger.
I warmed my feet along him.
I dreamt of us as children, us as grey.

The winter it didn’t snow,
I touched the fine lines forming.
I finally took my vitamins.
I tried to hush my mind, to let it slow.

The winter it didn't snow,
I wanted truth. But vastness.
I wanted peace. But Future.
I sought simplicity, the cool white sky.

The winter it didn't snow,
I waited for that foot fall.
I waited for that banner.
But as each month passed on, it whispered, No.

So, the winter it didn't snow,
I curled my breath each morning.
I studied frost like scripture.
I waved, Hello Moon, my dear shy friend.

The winter it didn't snow,
I made promises on car rides.
I laughed into my muscle aches.
I failed. I cried out. And I tried again. 

Comments

  1. Some of your absolute best writing here. I read this three times in a row. I am struck by its sheer simplicity layered over emotion and wit. And my two favorite passages are:
    "The winter it didn't snow,
    I held my love like hunger.
    I warmed my feet along him.
    I dreamt of us as children, us as grey."
    and
    "The winter it didn't snow,
    I wanted truth. But vastness.
    I wanted peace. But Future.
    I sought simplicity, the cool white sky."

    Simply and wonderfully beautiful

    You have immense talent Emily, the likes of which I really haven't seen before.

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  2. Hello Emily,
    I found you by way of Erin (Mysteries Internal), and I'm pleased I did. I'll be following you along the way, if that's ok?
    Regards
    Alan

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  3. Glad you're here, Alan! New friends are welcomed with a warm virtual smile.

    And Bill, you really are a great big soul of a man. Your kindness is a humbling thing.

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  4. Holy smoke Emily - I found you via Wild Bill - and am so totally delighted to find such a brilliant poet.

    "The winter it didn't snow" is brilliant. I love poetry and don't read enough of it often enough... so I'll be following along as you go on your journey and share your musings with us. Thank you for doing that.

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  5. "The winter it didn't snow,
    I held my love like hunger.
    I warmed my feet along him.
    I dreamt of us as children, us as grey."

    This line is pure perfection. I'm so excited for your life as a poet!

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  6. Beautiful. Simplicity and depth...you give us as readers both. Thank you!

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  7. Thanks, ladies. I'm not sure what "life as a poet" looks like, but it is nice when a few true lines find their way into my day.

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  8. What a beautiful poem. I'm glad it didn't snow in Minnesota this winter.

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  9. It has been a strange one, SPT. Lots of staring out windows incredulously. These verses began as a random list...and then suddenly they had a form. A fun product of all this waiting. :)

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  10. I loved your poem. And how strange that you don't have snow, although I know this from my siblings who reported last week from the family's northern Wisconsin cabin that there is only an inch of snow on the ground. Meanwhile, in Boulder, our February snow (more than 24 inches) has broken all records for this month.

    I'm glad to discover your blog.

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  11. Hi Kathy--I follow another blog based outside of Boulder, so I just read about the huge dumping you experienced. Wow. Isn't amazing how the world works? It really does look like November or late March outside my window, while you are most assuredly ensconced in deep February. Glad to have another Mountain blog to revel in. Enjoy the snow for the rest of us!

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  12. Great post ...I really appreciate your post...Thanks

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  14. Thanks for reading, BCRC. Since you're affiliated with Costa Rica, you might like an essay I wrote a while back:

    http://www.landingoncloudywater.blogspot.com/2011/11/san-carlos-costa-rica.html

    Such a lovely country.

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  15. Hi Emily, I'm so glad you found my blog so that I could find yours! As a lover of poetry and as a poet myself (as well as a college student with a major in English education)I am so pleased to find wonderful work such as yours! I really love this poem. I used to live in Minnesota but now I live in Montana, and I completely understand the oddities in having a winter with no snow. Thank you so much for sharing. I am excited to start following your work!

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  16. I have yet to find an English major I didn't like -- especially if they're fitting education into the mix. :)

    So glad you enjoyed the poem, T. I've spent time in Montana, but it was years ago and I can't remember much about its winters. I'm sure you get your share of strange weather, though, too. Good luck with your studies, your road trip, and all else. I'll be reading along!

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