In Sussex

Rainshadow on November sea
braced against the weather we
into strong sou’ westerly
In Sussex where we live

A reflection of winter

I caught an oak’s reflection
in a puddle Friday last
whilst walking in a field
by a tree that I went past

It reminded me that winter
on this chill November day
was close as from its branches
all the leaves had gone away

So I didn’t dilly dally
but paused there just enough
to ponder that reflection
of the tall oak there above

The November cast

The November cast belittles
with sunshine seldom seen
so when it makes appearance
I’m the best I’ve ever been
For I have never been a fan
of rain or winter cold
It brings a sag of shoulders
with a promise seldom sold

Sunshine bright II

Sunshine bright streams through my window
at the beginning of the day
its warmth there on my shoulder
very welcoming I’d say

Especially now it’s winter
and it’s rather cold outside
and though the sun’s still out there
its heat it tends to hide

The winter months

And now it’s turning colder
with a frost out there today
the first white stuff I’ve seen for months
has come it seems to stay
And I’m not enamoured by that
if truth be told I’d say
as I would rather have the warmth
of summertime, but hey!

In Stanmer Woods

In Stanmer Woods the trees stand tall
and sheltered down below
I stand as if on tippy-toe
as I’m quietly in the know
For up above the wind blows free
with frigid winter blast
yet down upon the bracken floor
there’s stillness here to last

Moon of the moment

Crescent moon up in the blue
bright shining in the sky
on a brittle winter morning
really caught my eye

Ethereal there through the trees
daylight just a whisper
I stood and watched her for a while
just in case I missed her

Frost

There’s a frost on the roof
at the end of the garden
as the winter clings on
for more months, beg your pardon
But I’ve had enough of
this cold stuff right now
and I long for the feel
of warm sun on my brow

Tuesday

And when Monday was finished
with Tuesday begun
the February sunshine arrived
Still weak with the winter
bereft yet of warmth
at least it could say that it tried

An ode to Winter

1 of 4

Crystalline clarity out there today
in the treeline over the way
A frosting has covered the fields overnight
with beauty mere words can’t portray
So I’ll not waste them here but contented instead
I’ll quietly stand here for a while
and let Winter’s wonder embellish instead
that picture in mind for a smile

December beaches

On the beach a lone kite-surfer came
to brave December chill
as a wintry and forgotten sun
sat in a low sky still

Bright it was in yellow sky
and despite the brittle air
The beauty of that moment
was really special there

Winter journey

Sunset bruised sky

Cold in Manchester

Awoke to a cold morning
But the rain had gone away
So putting on a braver face
I set out to greet the day
Unfamiilar are these streets
but my path is fairly clear
and the place that I am going to
is reasonably near

In winter

I’ve stood by this river in Summer
and early Spring and in fall
but in spite of the chill in the winter
the view is the best one of all

For the sun is low in its apex
and as it shines through the trees to the east
the way it catches the water
provides here a visual feast

Winter III

And now the iron chill
shouts loud with brutality
as if we didn’t know it
with absolute totality
Winter’s here, no doubt of that
November takes firm hold
with battle grey the colour
reminiscent of this cold
We wrap up warm in winter coats
for what is waiting there
Resigned against the onslaught
we face the brittle air

Dichotomy

Yes, there’s beauty in winter
I’ll give you that
But, no brainer given the choice
As between both of these
Quite opposed to the freeze
it’s the summer in which I rejoice

No reason to moan

I can tell it is winter
as it’s dark when I leave
and dark when I’m on my way home
As I’m all of a quiver
with a shake and a shiver
from the cold that brings chill to the bone

It’s not a season
I will freely admit
I’d encourage or even condone
Yet there’s reason to sing
as it’s followed by Spring
so I’ve really no reason to moan

First III (tanka)

3 of 12 in the Jemverse ’12 months III’ series

And so November
Colder days have taken hold
As wrapped up people shiver
into the winter
with the swansong of Autumn
for the year-end’s curtain call

Tea Leaves

Mangled leaves and withered dreams
Torn from their stable branches
In a final flurry of beauty
As they float down on a cold breeze
To join the Turkish rug of autumn.
There may yet be a child of wonder
Who makes a pile as tall
As their tree once was
And refuses to give up on them
As he leaps into their embrace.
But eventually, the snow will fall
Like a curtain on the stage
As the what-ifs and what-could-bes
Take a long, final bow
And melt away into the dull gray
Of the winter’s cold soil.

Tri-haiku XIII (cold) Pt.III

The white of winter
Carpe Diem (seize the day)
for its beauty cast

Tri-haiku XIII (cold) Pt.II

The white of winter
drills down deep right to the core
People shivering

Cold Sun

Sharp shadows jag over bare branches
frost nips and tucks

Tri-haiku XIII (cold) Pt.I

The white of winter
clings ethereal and cold
Steel and iron-clad

They must be laughing

They must be laughing up in Norway
or in Canada you know
at the fuss we make in England
when we have a little snow

Sides they must be splitting
Out in Russia, Moscow way
as our headlines speak of chaos
caused by snow that fell today

All is white

I wrap up warm
against the cold
I feel it now
I’m getting old
There’s white on
everything around
The air is crystal
n’er a sound.

They said there’d be snow

They said there’d be snow
Well, its cold enough
and there’s frost over all every day
But the sea air down here
on these southern shores
always seems to get well in the way

Yes, there have been falls
which have settled for days
in the past I remember quite well
But it’s still quite a rarity
for us in these parts
when snow of the settling kind fell

A Sussex view

Sun sets on a winter sea
Golden ‘cross wet sand
as we go walking at low tide
as lovers, hand in hand

Sunshine like water revisited

No.4 of 8 in ‘The sunshine series’ from Jemverse

Like water the sunshine, diluted and pale
greets this cold winter’s day
Its warmth has long gone and despite a brave face
Its exuberance has faded away
But its low zenith in the January sky
brings a glare from its fragility
Highlighting a beauty in all it shines on
which is very pleasing to me