The Test
Winter moon
White and clear
Snowy dune
Icy spear
Silver wisps
Line the sky
Patient stars
Wolfen cry
Haunting hush
Waiting wood
Powder crush
Soft wool hood
Anxious turns
Shuts the door
Stands outside
Full heart sore
Slanting square of white lamplight
Cuts the sameness of the night
Out before the rough hewn house
Vigil flame I pray to douse
Don't fret so
Tighten cloak
Loosen then
Twist and choke
Doubts arise
Hopes spin/fall
Lonesome claws
Poise to maul
Gaze pans night
Worried sighs
Dark beneath
Sharp cold skies
Flat gray fields stretching silent
Streams of ice floes ripped and violent
Clumsy fences trailing far
Clutching branches grasp and scar
All is still and all is screaming
Emptiness and fury teeming
He'll get through
I can feel
Snow beware
He's of steel
Gaze won't leave
Icy road
Sparkling shine
Eerie bode
Body shakes
Not from cold
Heart awakes
Life takes hold
Winter moon
Shines on two
Run embrace
Love is true
Poem Copyright 1980 Julia Smith
That is really cool, Julia. And perfect for this weather 'cause it's snowy and windy here, too. Man, is it windy.
ReplyDeleteI like how the lines with the higher syllable count up the tension. And the rhyming pattern...
Yeah, this one's a keeper.
You wrote this in high school??! wow.
ReplyDeleteI love the pic of the cabin in the snow, I have this fantasy of being snowed in on Christmas in a cabin.
Awesome imagery. I can fully appreciate it looking outside my window into the whitest winter I've seen in a long time!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, I particularly love the last eight lines Julia. x
ReplyDeleteI'm always amazed at the quality of the stuff you wrote while in high school (never mind the stuff you write today). Very nice.
ReplyDeleteAnd as always, you chose images that completely vibe with the words.
(We got quite the snowstorm ourselves yesterday, so this is certainly fitting).
I really love the ending!!
ReplyDeleteIt just making me feel like cozying up!!
Reading this made me as cold as if I'd gone outside. Love it Julia. :)
ReplyDeletequiet snow can be lovely and comforting. Snow with gale force winds just sucks
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THIS Julia! So wintery and delicious! This part . . . oooh, I lurved:
ReplyDeleteBody shakes
Not from cold
Heart awakes
Life takes hold
Winter moon
Shines on two
Run embrace
Love is true
;) You were a very advanced high-shcool gal. I'm sure you got all A's. LOL.
I like this.
ReplyDeleteMy next post somehow complements this. Come, have a look! Of course, it is for grown ups!
rooted
reading room
I love the imagery these lines evoke:
ReplyDeleteDon't fret so
Tighten cloak
Loosen then
Twist and choke
I can picture a woman buttoning up her coat and wrapping a scarf around her neck, only to nervously pull it all apart. Fabulous!
Geez, i hang with some talented peeps. once again - fabulous Julia! wonderful photo accompaniment as well. (however you spell that - too tired to look it up. okay. lazy.)
ReplyDeleteYou are a talented writer, Julia. I enjoy coming over to read your blog from time to time because it has a homey feel to it. Keep up the good work. Have a nice night.
ReplyDelete