“Winter Hymn”
By R. A. Raschke
. . . The last leaves of Autumn have finally fallen
Giving way to winter snows
All ready I am nostalgic for warmth:
Remembering long summer days
Working in the humid air
Paddling out and bathing in welcome waters
Satisfied in their languid depths.
But now a chill has claimed the air
Now a quiet cold is here
Now, beyond snowdrifts and slumbering pines,
Wonder awaits
I venture out on frozen lakes
Neath the winter moon
Come, let’s listen:
The haunting hymn of singing ice
Its echoes in the night.
Alas, the season is yet young
I gaze out on the first pale blush of snow,
And my heart yearns for warmth
But not the warmth of summer, no.
I yearn for endless, whited lengths
Dressed in shadow, streaked with stars
For the chill of cold and wild winds
That bite the bones and kiss cheeks a hearty glow
I come in to enveloping warmth
Seeking shelter from the cold
To rest beside the blazing hearth
With hot drink and happy heart.
"The poem was composed during the last weeks of November and completed towards the middle of the December. I had been playing with lyrics and lines mused over the growing cold and darkening days while out on walks between class and on study breaks. Unlike most of spring, summer, and fall, winter poses an overbearing threat to survival. There is a primordial essence to the season that cannot be tamed and permeates the warm walls of our dwelling places, and even the comforts and distractions of modern living. In motion and quietness, stillness and sound, darkness and light, winter is a time of extremes, and in such extremes, one is easily overcome with a sense of wonder, humbled by the realization that the world is still a much bigger, more mysterious place than we realize."
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“Forgiveness”
By Harry Skye
Ice
water frozen in time
heart standing still
Extreme cold
ice cracks and thunders
heart does not break
Days, maybe years
Sun on ice
makes the surface smooth
reflecting back the cold heart
More sun on ice
Will there be a thaw?
Will the heart beat again?
More energy
thinning ice darkens
drips tears
Careful now heart
Slow beat at first
then rapid
Joyful as the heart forgives
“I am a recently retired physician. I have lived in the Rhinelander area for the last 30 years.”
