Friday, January 9, 2015

Winter Poetry Swap

It's Poetry Friday...one of my favorite days of the week!  It is being hosted by Tabatha Yeatts: The Opposite of Indifference.  So many links to poetry, so little time...you'd better get there fast then, to get started!

And speaking of Tabatha, few weeks ago Tabatha Yeatts organized a Winter Poetry Swap.  And through that swap I received a wonderful poem by Matt Forrest Esenwine that I would like to share with you today.  Because he too is from the Northeast, his poem about birches and snow brought up images in my mind...and remembrances of heavy snow with birches bent low to touch the ground.  We had some birches doing just that before Thanksgiving, but I couldn't find my pictures.  I did finally locate some from last year though.
Matt also included a beautiful milkweed ornament, that arrived just in time to be added to our small "motel Christmas" tree we've used ever since our Thanksgiving weekend house fire in 2007.
Matt's had one bad spate of luck lately, mixed in with some pretty good stuff lined up to happen this year.   Perhaps 2015 will hold easier, funner things!  Hope so!  It's definitely his time to shine!

Here's our beloved little tree with Matt's gift ornament - and after that is the poem he sent to me:
It's a little tree in a big room, but it's very special to us.


Courtship

White birch branches
kissed by snow
bend down softly,
arching low.

Their touch is tender,
time is slow - 
til sprintime comes
and they let go.

©2014, Matt Forrest Esenwine

Thank you, Matt, for both the poem and the ornament!

14 comments:

  1. Very nice! Love that last line especially :).

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  2. Is your tree Charlie Brown-esque? Sometimes those are the most beloved of all. Matt picked the most perfect title and fresh perspective, didn't he? And you found just the right photo to go with it.

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  3. Beautiful poem. I adore your little tree - so tiny, so cute.

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  4. A nice melding of poem and photos!

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  5. What a tree! What a poem! What an ornament! Love. That poem just made me smile so big. Glorious. Thanks for sharing. SO nice to meet you. *waves*

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  6. So lovely - poem, and your tree.

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  7. Love the slow pace of this wintry courtship. And your small tree, the milkweed ornament, and the candles in the windows!

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  8. I would love to see snow-bent birches in real life someday. Love the ones in the photo and the poem!

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  9. Thanks for sharing Donna...I'm so glad you liked the poem and our handmade ornament!

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    1. I enjoyed both the poem and the homemade ornament! Thank YOU!

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  10. And by the way, many thanks to everyone here for their nice comments - I appreciate it!

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  11. Thanks for sharing Matt's poem, Donna--perfect for reading on this snowy day.

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  12. Gorgeous pairing of poetry with the photograph! :) Love the sweetness of Matt's poem.

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  13. I think the poem by Matt and the photo are perfectly matched to capture a winter whispering. Thank you for sharing, Donna.

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