Snowflakes fill in all the sky
And blanket all the earth below
As soft firelight warms my room,
I am content in my world.
Squirrels still search for winter stores
As I sit here quietly sipping tea
And nightfall now comes in so soon.
A light frost creates a magical scene.
A mournful cry speaks, comes out of the wild.
But my house is safe from wintry blasts.
Though the pond is frozen
and the winter winds wail
to make animals huddle for warmth–
While I, snug in my little house,
Munch on walnuts coated in honey.
Winter is a time of retreat yet
Also a time to reflect and rejoice.
To rest from harvest of labor
To prepare for the renewal of Spring.
#Winterandwintertime #winterandretreat
A Valentine
The twinkle in her eyes, so mischievous
As she gave me her card of love
Then, as if abashed by her rash act,
She hid behind her mother’s skirts
Peeking out waiting for my approval
The card was, if anything, very colorful
Red, green, violet, yellow and orange
Its few words were truly easy to read
Pa-pa! Will you be my Valentine
PS I love you, so!
From Kathy Anne
#valentinesday #fatheranddaughter #fatherslove
AUTHOR NOTES
GLASS RAIN—the poetry by Margaret Roxby
“NIGHT SONG” was found among the author’s papers.
REFRACTIONS—a poem by Robert Roxby
“A VALENTINE” first appeared in his anthology, Reflections on a Lifetime. His daughter was five at the time of this poem.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
“YES” was inspired by a a challenge from a fellow poet and a poem of the same title which the author once read in an oral interpretation textbook.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Readers who write in response to one of the prompts listed each month in Splintered Glass, may see their work presented here on the last week of that month. Though poems are preferred, short prose work will also be considered for publication.
Guidelines for submission:
SPLINTERS FOR FEBRUARY 2022
The Geology Lesson
Lifted from the tide pool,
Malachite
Lies wet and cool
In my hand
While primordial memory
Flickers in my blood
Quivers across my skin
As I touch Malachite’s cousin,
Serpentine,
Warm and slick in the sun.
Wet tadpole ripples
Ride the heart rhythm
Pulsing in waves.
Lizard sand trails
Scrape scales against flesh.
Sediment silts into the riverbeds
Of my veins.
Cooling magma steams
In my bones.
The geometry of the elements
Spreads through my being
Like building blocks
Stacking one on one
Until I am become one solid again,
Neither rock nor human,
But something in between
I am alone on the beach
with ancient memory.
#geologytrip #evolution #gaia
WHERE EVERY ROOM WAITS EMPTY
(For William Saroyan and George Freitag Who knew how it is)
The long high wires swing,
Sing in the wind
Sibylline sentences,
Messages in myriad,
Life in suspension
From pole to pole.
But the bell is still
And only silence rings
Through the house
Where every room waits
Empty
Until you dial.
#loneliness #communication #emotionalconnection #phoneconversations
A WINTER DAY
Snowflakes fill in all the sky
And blanket all the earth below
As soft firelight warms my room,
I am content in my world.
Squirrels still search for winter stores
As I sit here quietly sipping tea
And nightfall now comes in so soon.
A light frost creates a magical scene.
A mournful cry speaks, comes out of the wild.
But my house is safe from wintry blasts.
Though the pond is frozen
and the winter winds wail
to make animals huddle for warmth–
While I, snug in my little house,
Munch on walnuts coated in honey.
Winter is a time of retreat yet
Also a time to reflect and rejoice.
To rest from harvest of labor
To prepare for the renewal of Spring.
#Winterandwintertime #winterandretreat
AUTHOR NOTES
GLASS RAIN—the poetry by Margaret Roxby
“WHERE EVERY ROOM WAITS EMPTY” was written befodre the advent of cell phones. It first published in New Earth Review. It is included this week for Send a Card to a Friend Day, February 7.
REFRACTIONS—a poem by Robert Roxby
“A WINTER DAY” first appeared in his anthology, Reflections on a Lifetime. This is a new revision.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS—the poetry of Kathleen Roxby
“GEOLOGY LESSON” is included this week for February 12, Darwin Day. The author’s favorite science is Geology, but this is poem is an improvisation with the gaia hypothesis in mind.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Readers who write in response to one of the prompts listed each month in Splintered Glass, may see their work presented here on the last week of that month. Though poems are preferred, short prose work will also be considered for publication.
Guidelines for submission:
SPLINTERS FOR FEBRUARY 2022