Ode to Shadow Winter

a largely devoid of snow quasi-winter inspires this shadow write

Odes have been dedicated to the change of seasons, but that angle has been played.

Sprayed with canned snow, our windows reflect the challenges now so clearly defined.

Rewind the time and set your clocks to coincide with the season now at hand,

Planned or not, sharp differences show up in abstract flights of fancy, often so obtuse.

Peruse the landscape, ignore the snow, and imagine fortresses carved from ice;

Suffice to say this sturdy structure clearly surpasses one built of twigs.

Swigs of brandy may fortify one’s journey through drifts of hard-packed snow,

Show the path into the bitter depths, and bring us back to our humble abodes.

 

dan © 2016

Author's Note

weirdly seasonal mishap

Reviews

[barleygirl]

Speaking of obtuse . . . I can't exactly follow this thread, but I still love the original & vivid writing it showcases. This is amazing: "Sprayed with canned snow, our windows reflect the challenges now so clearly defined." Good alliteration: "Suffice to say this sturdy structure clearly surpasses" . . . I can feel an analogy between winter sensations & feeling a lack of hopefulness.

[dan]

barleygirl, This is actually a simple piece bemoaning the lack of snow we've had this winter, expressed abstractly. I tend to bury meanings also, a verbal Easter egg hunt. Perhaps sometimes I bury them too deeply. Thank you so much for the read/review. take care...dan

[barleygirl]

Thanks for the help . . . I reread & saw it slightly . . . a lifetime coastal girl, I'm not familiar with the vagaries of snow!

[dan]

I lived in Vallejo for 3 years and San Diego for a year...I really missed the snow, like this winter here in PA. That's why I chose to call it 'shadow winter.' take care...dan

[Nisreen]

I have always found your work to be wise
and artistic

something about snow
brings about this serene feeling
bringing one down to earth

remembering that all that had mattered at the end of the day
is the kindness of all seasons

Giving earth and never expecting much in return but mere recognition of beauty

this piece is unique
speaks so much

[dan]

Nisreen, I don't know how much snow you got in Canada this winter, but here in Pennsylvania we have had VERY little. So our LACK of snow led me to call it 'shadow winter.' From there the verbiage flowed. I DO agree that snow packs a sense of serenity with it; perhaps this piece is mourning its absence. Thanks so much for your intuitive review! take care...dan

[Nisreen]

i guess it my first time to experience snow so what i saw truly filled my eyes and heart ...... i have no point of reference ..... but i never witnessed anything more beautiful .....

[dan]

Oh, your first season of snow? Yes you are correct it is very peaceful and beautiful. Thanks again! take care...dan

[Nisreen]

yeah
i am not from canada
it never snows in the middle east
have a great day :)

[.]

A very different piece of writing, Dan.

I spent the days of my school literature classes immersed in the odes of John Keats and I agree that many odes to the seasons have been written before.
I cannot speak for the weather you have been having, but it seems like winter went missing. We here in Australia are now in autumn, yet it is still very hot and humid. Global warming? Who knows....
An interesting write. Take care.

[dan]

Doodley, Yes this winter there has been a weather pattern called El Nino, causing massive floods and tornadoes in the south, heaping amounts of snow out west and a WAY warmer than usual winter in the northeast, where I am in Pennsylvania. Definitely a pattern of climate change. And I felt that this SHOULD be written about in a different way, hence the format. Thank you so much for your review and I hope you are feeling better soon. take care...dan