keeping this time sacred

winter-harmony.twactman
“Winter Harmony” by John Henry Twachtman

Rich meanings of the prophet-Spring adorn,
Unseen, this colourless sky of folded showers,
And folded winds; no blossom in the bowers;
A poet’s face asleep is this grey morn.

Now in the midst of the old world forlorn
A mystic child is set in these still hours.
I keep this time, even before the flowers,
Sacred to all the young and the unborn.

~ Alice Meynell
(In February)

8 thoughts on “keeping this time sacred”

    1. Aren’t the blues striking, Jane? Blue has been my favorite color for as long as I can remember and it brings me joy when artists see it in the natural world. I wonder if snow has a bluish cast because it is water and water is often blue…

    1. Thank you, Tiny. I’m happy you noticed the connection to stillness in the painting and the poem. 🙂

    1. When I was growing up I noticed that if the water was flowing in the swamp/brook behind our house the water wouldn’t freeze. That’s why plumbers advise us to keep a trickle of water running from our faucets on extremely cold nights in order to keep the pipes from freezing.

  1. The quote seems to capture some of the essence of the weeks before the Vernal Equinox. Many trees are still dark and bare, but the breezes seem to have a type of promise – the cool excitement of a rebirth soon to happen.

    1. The sun is a little more cheerful and bright, too. This morning I was outside just before dawn and heard a single bird singing its own promise that spring is just around the corner. Soon the others will arrive and there will be a full chorus!

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