Between the living world
and the world of death
is a clear, cold pane;
a man who looks too close
must fog it with his breath,
or hold his breath too long.
~ Wendell Berry
(The Cold Pane)
a clear, cold pane
Between the living world
and the world of death
is a clear, cold pane;
a man who looks too close
must fog it with his breath,
or hold his breath too long.
~ Wendell Berry
(The Cold Pane)
Appropriate words for that pane of glass that Jack Frost decorated.
I thought so, too, Peggy. I’m not sure why we don’t see Jack Frost’s artwork around here too much these days… thermal pane windows?
I don’t know what happened to Jack Frost either. My windows use to have some beautiful ice patterns every winter – not anymore.
Same here. And we used to have icicles hanging off the eaves of the house but not any more.
Good one … and love the image! Driveway and sidewalks clear?
Mostly cleared. The contractors forgot the school bus stop area and had to come back again this morning…
I appreciate how you teach me new poems. I’ve never read this one, and it’s incredible. Gives me the chills. 😉 Perfect for these cold icy winter days.
The poem made a big impression on me, too. I love flipping through Wendell Berry’s collections. Thanks, Pam, for letting me know you appreciate my efforts to find new ones worth sharing. ❄️ 💙
Interesting thoughts on this.
I love short poems that can keep me thinking for hours…
Great photo, and I’d never read that poem before. I find it rather melancholy, though, don’t you? (Perhaps you, like the rest of us, are tired of winter and the pandemic??)
Yes, it’s a very poignant poem. The pandemic is a constant reminder of how precarious and precious life is and winter is getting harder to bear when one ages and feels the cold more sharply…
Lovely photo and poem, Barbara
Thank you, Timi! 🙂
Fascinating! It feels like you’re the type of person who stays with and digests poetry deeply. Would you say that’s true? I often move too quickly and don’t sit still long enough to learn all the lessons hidden within.
That’s true, but I’m very picky. There are some poems that are too long and complicated and I can’t bring myself to finish reading them, let alone digest them. (That’s why I love haiku so much!) Poetry is amazing because it can mean different things to me on different days…
I occasionally see Jack Frost’s handiwork on my neighbor’s garage window panes but it’s a wee bit too far unless I have the big camera with its long kit lens.
That makes sense, the garage probably isn’t well insulated. At least I suspect that’s why Jack Frost can’t seem to work on most home windows these days…
Yes, because I remember Jack Frost’s awesome artwork when I was growing up.
Me, too. And icicles hanging off the eaves.
I have some photos of my neighbor’s icicles from a few years ago – they look like daggers. I took some icicle pics at the Park to use in an upcoming post. After February, I’m going to return to my 2021 trek pics … I strayed for the snow, though I’ll be on the lookout for daffodils, crocuses and snowdrops. A homeowner had snowdrops and often they’re covered with snow.
From icicles and snow to daffodils, crocuses and snowdrops ~ the seasons keep coming round and round… ❄️🌼