This is for dVerse. Björn asked us to be conscious of how we punctuate the silence in this poem. I normally do use commas and dashes and sometimes periods for full stops, but I did try to be extra aware of pauses here.
in the blue-white of a snowy morning
silence reigns. . .
winds brush all with feathered wings,
but hush the birds, who do not sing
as they huddle in their nests and wait. . .
and I, with cup in hand, sit still,
wonder if it ever will
get warm again. . .
by window side, there I bide,
I look outside on winter white,
the whipping flakes diffusing light,
I gaze, listening to the out and in,
and the quietness of everything
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
Beautiful beyond words !
Awww–thank you, Holly! ❤
Oh, the spacing makes it even quieter. I love this gentle piece, it really feels like a winter morning.
Thank you very much, Sarah!
Those word trailing out into ellipsis, like a pianissimo and pause… makes you think
Thank you, Björn. Good thing. . .thinking.
Early winter mornings are definitely pianissimo.
Lovely—you were listening too 🙂
Thank you. 🙂
Tho I no longer live where it snows, I once did. It was always the hush of the snowfall that mesmerized me. You have captured that beautifully.
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, Susan. Yes, I’m always kind of amazed by that hush.
Infused with silence.
Enjoyed.
Thanks so much, Ken!
Peaceful…
Thank you!
I really like the way the rhythm changes. I was wondering yesterday where the sparrows go during such weather. But they’re back this morning! (K)
Thanks, Kerfe. I always wonder about the wildlife in bad weather. It’s good to see and hear them again after a storm.
Yes, it always is.
Amazing use of spaces to set up the pacing; you slowed your reader down to take a cup in hand and wonder and wait beside you. Well done!
Thank you so much, Jilly!
Very nice sound. I wonder if it will ever get warm again and it may have just started to get cold.
Thank you, Frank. It is very cold here now in NJ.
This poem invited me to read aloud. And so I did. You caught the mood with lyrical rhythm.
Thanks so much, Marian. That is a lovely compliment!
Lynne Truss would be proud of you: http://www.lynnetruss.com/books/eats-shoots-leaves/
Thank you, Derrick. That is high praise.
🙂
So beautiful and peaceful. There’s a hush to it that makes me want to whisper my comment.
That is lovely. Thank you, Robin. 🙂
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. I am in the winter stillness with you. Despite the -5 on our outside thermometer, my heart is warmed from your poem. ❤
Aww–thanks so much, Pam. It’s not much warmer here, though it’s all the way to 9 now on our thermometer! 🙂
Your pauses reflect the cold calmness of white snow. I can see the birds huddling together in the pines to keep out of the wind. While we all sit with warm cup in hand wondering how they can survive! Very great poem!
Dwight
Thank you very much for your lovely comment, Dwight. I’m so glad my poem brought these images to mind.
You are welcome!
There seems a little influence of Frost in this poem. I really like it and how you use caesuras in some of the lines.
Thank you. That is such a nice compliment, Luanne.
I really liked this prompt, and I did try to be very conscious of the pauses.
I have been looking for prompts lately, but I do best with strange ones and not with formal ones. I don’t write formal poetry very well.
Oh, I’m surprised. I picture you writing all sorts of poetry brilliantly! I would probably never write formal poem, if I didn’t do prompts, so I think it’s good practice for me–especially since I don’t have any formal training in poetry.
I don’t like putting things in or arranging them because of form, but like the form to arise out of the content. I think it’s a personality thing. When I have written a formal poem that I think is good nobody else thinks so ;).
Interesting. And now I remember you challenged me to write something in some complicated form. I will have to look. . . 🙂
LOL, did I? Was it a form or a random group of prompts-in-one (I like those).
I had to look it up–a sestina using “bougainvillea and scorpions and one line of Spanish.”
Hahahaha.
That sounds like me! hahaha
🙂
Such wonder in the silence, such beauty in the words, Merril.
Snow seems to quiet my inner voices of doubt or restlessness. I do calm down more in winter evenings.
I walked along “my” nearby creek to take photos of its lovely, shimmering surface. I awoke refreshed in the deceptively frigid sunshine. 🌞 🌬 🌨
Thank you, Robin. It sounds like a lovely, restorative walk!
It was a restorative and sunny (vitamin D) walk which felt restorative. A very good descriptive choice, Merril.