"Friday Byways With Barbara K" is NOW OPEN as a Legacy Writers II Group Forum Post (the link is at the end).
Inviting all to join and participate in "Byways" and each one
of the Legacy Writers II Groups.
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Welcome to "Byways" week and thanks so much for your visits and participating during the holiday weeks. Happy New Year to ALL!
I believe that we can all agree that there has been some crazy weather going on this winter -- everywhere. Record cold in the Southeastern United States, colder than cold in places where winters are normally cold, rain in places that haven't seen such rain in years. Southern California, for instance, experiencing more rain over the past few weeks than in previous years combined.
Winter can be extremely harsh and unforgiving.
But there is also beauty to be found in the weather of winter.
With the storms in California come the snows in the mountains.
And with the winter rains here in Southern California come the flowers.
Many have written about winter.
Robert Frost:
A Winter Eden by Robert Frost
A winter garden in an alder swamp,
Where conies now come out to sun and romp,
As near a paradise as it can be
And not melt snow or start a dormant tree.
It lifts existence on a plane of snow
One level higher than the earth below,
One level nearer heaven overhead,
And last year's berries shining scarlet red.
It lifts a gaunt luxuriating beast
Where he can stretch and hold his highest feat
On some wild apple tree's young tender bark,
What well may prove the year's high girdle mark.
So near to paradise all pairing ends:
Here loveless birds now flock as winter friends,
Content with bud-inspecting. They presume
To say which buds are leaf and which are bloom.
A feather-hammer gives a double knock.
This Eden day is done at two o'clock.
An hour of winter day might seem too short
To make it worth life's while to wake and sport.
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Looking For a Sunset Bird in Winter by Robert Frost
The west was getting out of gold,
The breath of air had died of cold,
When shoeing home across the white,
I thought I saw a bird alight.
In summer when I passed the place
I had to stop and lift my face;
A bird with an angelic gift
Was singing in it sweet and swift.
No bird was singing in it now.
A single leaf was on a bough,
And that was all there was to see
In going twice around the tree.
From my advantage on a hill
I judged that such a crystal chill
Was only adding frost to snow
As gilt to gold that wouldn't show.
A brush had left a crooked stroke
Of what was either cloud or smoke
From north to south across the blue;
A piercing little star was through.
Dylan Thomas:
"A Child's Christmas in Wales"
Years and years ago, when I was a boy, when there were wolves in Wales, and birds the color of red-flannel petticoats whisked past the harp-shaped hills, when we sang and wallowed all night and day in caves that smelt like Sunday afternoons in damp front farmhouse parlors, and we chased, with the jawbones of deacons, the English and the bears, before the motor car, before the wheel, before the duchess-faced horse, when we rode the daft and happy hills bareback, it snowed and it snowed. But here a small boy says: "It snowed last year, too. I made a snowman and my brother knocked it down and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea."
"But that was not the same snow," I say. "Our snow was not only shaken from white wash buckets down the sky, it came shawling out of the ground and swam and drifted out of the arms and hands and bodies of the trees; snow grew overnight on the roofs of the houses like a pure and grandfather moss, minutely -ivied the walls and settled on the postman, opening the gate, like a dumb, numb thunder-storm of white, torn Christmas cards."
And many others.
This week let us share some of the wonder of winter in whatever form you wish -- prose, poetry, photography. Please feel free to use any of the photos here or bring your own.
Thanks so much for joining "Byways" and for your participation. Please spread the word if you get a chance. I always do look forward to it. We all look forward to what you come back with to share with us.
Just a reminder to add your work as a new topic to this forum and to add a title in the subject box.
I look forward to being here with you and encourage you to come back often throughout the week to share your words and your vision with all of us.
Each week's topic is added to the Forum as a new one is posted and you are welcome to write to any of them.
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I look forward to seeing you there tonight when this is posted as a Legacy Writers II "Byways" Forum and throughout the week ahead.
~Barb K~
P.S. To join and participate in "Byways" please click on the following link and click on the "join" button:
https://myboomerplace.com/groups/view/id_492/
I look forward to seeing you there.
Tags: BarbaraK Legacy Writers Byways Winter Poetry Photography Groups Writing
A CPC "Elvis Songetry," a piece
using Elvis Song titles (which are in capital letters).
WHEN THE WORLD IS TOO MUCH . . . .
When the world around me
gets to be just too much
for me to handle
in a conventional way,
I dream of that
LITTLE BIT OF GREEN
where ANYPLACE
IS PARADISE,
that land BEYOND THE REEF,
the one that's way out there,
as I FOLLOW THAT DREAM,
to the EDGE OF REALITY
that's ALWAYS ON MY MIND,
that place for just a little bit of time
I can MAKE THE WORLD GO AWAY
THANKS TO THE ROLLING SEA.
And when it's a WINTER
WONDERLAND at home,
you can find me dreaming
BLUE HAWAII dreams
and RIDING THE RAINBOW
arching across crystal skies
in that WORLD OF OUR OWN
where ALOHA OE
is my anthem of the day
sung to favorite ukulele tunes
floating on sweet paradise breezes.
You'll find my bags packed,
you don't even have to ask,
"AM I READY to go,"
it's just a matter of when.
"ANY DAY NOW," my answer,
for I know it is so,
just tell me when and where
and I'm definitely on my way
to paradise adventure,
MAKE BELIEVE or not,
PARADISE, HAWAIIAN STYLE
as I FOLLOW THAT DREAM.
(c) bak 1-5-11
barbara kausteklis
Written for CPC "Thematic Attic/Elvis Songetry."
The following link will take you there:
http://www.myspace.com/mom_holtz/blog/541551765
And a link to Elvis Song Titles:
http://www.biwa.ne.jp/~presley/song-aze.htm
Thanks so much for your visits
and comments and smiles!
~Barb~
Tags: BarbaraK Poetry Photography CPC ThematicAttic Elvis Songetry Hawaii
