Winter Shoot = Snows Arrive -Photography

Winter Shoot

Snow came overnight,

After many grey days,

White fluff clings to branches

Surprises the last clinging leaves

of decorative trees.

 

Through the window

The peaceful scene

begins to compose.

 

Donning a warm sweater, jacket,

hat, gloves and grabbing the camera,

I leave the warmth,

For the handmade winter

Beckons me

To the city park a block away.

 

It’s colder than expected.

I have forgotten my scarf.

Excitement pushes me forward.

 

This is a light, wet snow – couple of inches.

It clings to the evergreens artfully.

I take off a glove to begin to shoot

The park benches are empty, but not forlorn.

Their flirty colors still show, like a colorful petticoat

under the snow.

 

The misty, grey sky washes out the world,

Of the footpaths, the trees, and snow.

As I reach a small rise

Another human appears, a silhouette

in a parka and heavy boots,

Holding a very still pose

that I recognize and, from a distance,

a vague shape of a camera.

She moves among the trees, but gives up

And leaves because of the cold.

 

I wander toward the tall trees

Where a few birds perch

on the very top branches.

 

Zoom in for a shot and the camera stops…

The cold that nips my ungloved hand

Is slowing the camera down.

Some larger birds arrive.

The glove goes back on

I clasp the small camera between my hands

Watching and waiting –

me and the birds.

 

Once more zoom in and click, click.

They fly off…

When suddenly two large flocks of birds descend

And a chorus of song arises in the treetops –

A choir of joy!

 

For the finale, as one, the hundreds take flight

In a graceful curve, they head away from me

Then swoop back in an S-curve,

over the spot where I stand

Dumbfounded

I watch, shooting forgotten,

Not separate from flight by a lens

My spirit rises.

 

(I am sorry that I cannot share the video of the birds’ song on my blog.)

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen.

So many people have stopped by to find a recipe or see my photos and read my poems this year. You give me the worlds that I would never see or know. With a grateful heart I wish you a happy season wherever you may be.

The birds begin to gather together and sing