December 17 - December 21 Week 48/72
as the longest night of the year
begins its quick descent
I gingerly make my way
through knee deep snow
to light a little teepee
of kindling awaiting
the touch of a match
flames spring to life
dancing in frost-tinged air as
maple and birch branches
victims of a summer storm
now cut, dried and stacked
feed the robust fire working
to push the growing darkness
farther and farther away as
bright orange sparks float up
to share a kiss as Jupiter and Saturn
slow dance behind the hill
while I sit under the same sky
as my niece and great nephew
thousands of miles to the south
I haven't been outside too much this particular 1/72! It has warmed and frozen off and on, and so the whole yard can be a sheet of ice. I walk down the stairs across the walk and up the stairs into my workshop, and I feel grateful I've made it without slipping. WHY don't I put my little cleats on my shoes? My real passion (besides sorting in my study, taking breaks to write, and getting ready to get back to research-writing) has been a couple of cohorts of ravens who are beginning to show up everyday. BLACK as I've ever seen, and perfect around solstice. They are so aware of their environment. If I am standing at the door…