January Almanac

Ice sculptures form in the creek – Photo © 2017 by V. Nesdoly

Frosted black pavement
Slush hillocks turned ice, packed snow
Slippery when wet

Streetlights spot diamonds
Every street a booby-trap
of black ice

East outflow winds
Harsh, strong, glittering, long
freeze-drying Winter

Puffy Capsize coat
Icebreaker socks, Northside boots
my new best friends

© 2017 by Violet Nesdoly (All rights reserved)

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Winter has caught my attention. This year we’ve had particularly long cold spells with snow off and on since mid-December. Then mid-day the temperature warms to just above freezing and for a few hours the snow melts till the temps dip again. The pair of sturdy, warm hiking boots I bought way back in October is getting lots of use. No falls on the ice so far!

This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted this week by Keri at Keri Recommends.

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Body weather

Image courtesy Microsoft clipart.

Plugged-up nose
predicts a cold front
scratchy throat
a storm warning.

Gusts of sneezes
are soon a blizzard
of blowing spray
100% possibility of precipitation.

Tissues accumulate
in drifts, filling trashcans
calm eye of the story
followed by a rough trough

of sneezes and coughs.
My nose is a windsock
head locked
in a supercell

that weakens to a drizzle
of draining mucus
while Kleenex flurries
continue.

Winds die down at last
fog begins lifting
long-range forecast is hopeful
clear and calm in a week.

© 2015 by V. Nesdoly (All rights reserved)

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I wrote this poem last January. Perhaps it’s my new but unwelcome tradition—a New Year cold as I’m again in the grip of this sort of body weather. So I’m staying in and hunkering down. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone!