Remembering January

The rain that fell last week

pounding against the skylights and windows

should have been snow,

whispering the secret of Winter.

But here we are,

it’s 2013,

and the planet is warm.

Snowdrops have already bloomed

in Tom’s garden.

We know, because he calls the Gazette

and they put it on the front page,

down in the corner.

I am a big fan of Winter

ever since the first year we moved to the Island

and I had no work at all.

I decided I could either freak out,

or get into it.

So, with the children at school,

I went to dance classes,

began practicing the violin,

got a list of the Pulitzer prize winners in fiction,

and started at the top.

Bubble baths in the middle of the day,

I fell in love with Winter.

Today I awoke early

with an excitement I could not explain.

It’s Winter! Time to try new things,

think fresh thoughts.

Let the bones of the trees

speak to my bones.

Time is passing,

Winter is fleeting.

Get quiet while you can,

before the riot of spring bird calls draws me out

into the meadow,

to the beach,

away from that inner mystery.

What can I do

that I’ve never done before?