Winter Waning

 

If this is what becomes of winter

in the New England woods,

 

raindrops rippling over downed leaves

surrendered in unrealized anticipation of snow,

 

silky moss springing up between boulders

a fierce frost once heaved apart,

 

and mushrooms flaming gold

against the green-grey of sodden wood,

 

then I will caress the land’s bones, bare, with a lover’s gaze.

 

Inhale in ecstasy the low-lying mist.

 

Shake brilliant droplets from the beech buds

as I jostle the forest in passing,

Like old friends brushing shoulders

on a long walk in the late evening light.

 

And cast tears in joy as well as sadness,

because there is beauty even in this changing season.

 

Joshua Morse

Joshua is a PhD candidate at the University of Vermont, where he studies non-material benefits from healthy ecosystems, and environmental policy. He graduated from F&ES with a MEScin 2017. In his free time, Joshua loves exploring the woods with his dog Pepper.

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One Comment

  1. What a rich evocation of how our inner lives must change as the seasons change — each year, but accelerating and morphing through climate change. Many thanks, Me Morse!

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