The temperature is
about 20 degrees again. There is a blade of ice on the pond, double-edged. Only a small portion of the pond appears to have ice; only a small portion of the morning has light. This is the shortest day of the year. Shortest daylight, that is. Burnt morning, burnt evening.
Oh, with more light now, I see a sheen of ice across the whole pond. The knife shape remains, a thickness in the shine.
North out of Fairwater, one of the Stellmachers is walking south towards the village. Exercise. Now blue sky and sunshine and clumps of shadow in a plowed field. The day could not be more lovely.
A low crow above Watson Street in Ripon. It barely clears my windshield as it crosses in front of me. What omen is that black mark?
I love the first paragraph: the two sides of the blade, the two sides of day. It's funny how both morning and evening come through fire.
Posted by: Peter | December 21, 2007 at 06:11 AM
A bird, befuddled by the season's change, preoccupied with bird thoughts, throws itself on the mercy of the wind's currents and eddies.
May they be merciful, indeed...
Posted by: poor_mad_peter | December 21, 2007 at 09:29 AM
Hello, Peter. Thanks for the good words. This morning, here, comes through fog rather than fire, I'm afraid. We still have plenty of snow, though.
Posted by: Tom Montag | December 21, 2007 at 09:35 AM
Mad Peter - may those winds be merciful to us too. Tis the season that they roar and blast. Though today the sun turns back toward us, yes? Hoo-rah for that!
Posted by: Tom Montag | December 21, 2007 at 09:38 AM
I came to the site this morning just to see comments on this shortest day. Terrific that the final image is the crow.
Tomorrow that's changing though. From dark to light. Slowly. Slowly.
Posted by: Larry G. | December 21, 2007 at 10:44 AM
Hi, Larry - thanks for stopping. Yep, I tend to notice those traditional solar markers, even if I don't always write about them. Especially the one that marks the return of the sun. There's something really pagan in my soul, I suppose....
Posted by: Tom Montag | December 21, 2007 at 11:02 AM