12th Day of Yule 2017 CE

An Afternoon on Hurricane Ridge

Sweet is the taste of alpine fir

Crisp with the crunch of ice

Fluffy the gray jay and raven

And unsolicited advice,

Bright are the rainbow sparkles

In a golden shaft of light

Cast by scattered snow

Crystals that were never white,

Proud is the wind that sweeps

Over ridges and meadows steep

Sculptor of tree and snow

The secrets of its art it keeps.

11th Day of Yule

Fire in Winter

Sweet is the scent of candles

Warm the dance of the flame

Quiet the burn of fire

A flickering long-wave refrain,

Vibrant the heat of the wood stove

A cook fire bound in metal

Warming the hands and building

Snapping as logs settle,

Cold is the light of the stars

Sharp and pale in the sky

With yearning we watch them blaze

And wish with their numbers to fly,

Pale is the morning sunlight

Rich gold in the afternoon

It warms the passing days

And marks time by shadows and moon.

10th Day of Yule

Winter Tempers

Arctic is the breath

Of the winter storm

Polar is the touch

Of December clouds

Soon shall the winter

Give way to spring

Though the winter stretches on

As the months will turn.

Shy is the snow

By a temperate sea

Light is its hold

On the land

Bold is the wind

On the mountains

Where it scours and sculpts

With a fearless hand.

9th Day of Yule

New Snow

Tis the quiet eve of a celebration of light

Snow begins to fall on into the night

Tis a light snow a quiet snow

Dense and fast

Light as angel kisses as it falls past

Whispering in the forest

Squeaking on the road

Tis a light snow a cold snow

From which tales are told,

Not the fat fluffy flakes

Of which I am familiar

Like bits of lace

Wet and peculiar

Big and lovely and prone to melt

Fading away into the earth’s muddy pelt,

Tis the small ice crystals

That gather on a frozen land

A layer of magic

You can catch in your hand,

For snow is a magic

Of winter and cold

A magic of laughter

And wishes they unfold

Sparkling as it sails down

Trees merrily to frost

Swooping into earthen contours

Til the land of yesterday is lost,

Snow is Winter’s magic dust

The cold season’s gift

And if the Winter you shall trust

The world you may shift

From that dreary land of old

You know just too well

To a new land of sparkles and joy

For a Winter spell.

8th Day of Yule

The Grand Doug

The fir that is grand

The fir that is not

Not fir not hemlock

Not cedar or pine

Together we bind them

In a Yule tree fine,

Proud we stand them

In a corner of wood

Glowing golden

The color of home

By the table of candles

Lit in the gloam,

Lights are strung

Across their mingled boughs

Red and orange

Green and blue

Ruby poinsettias

On the lowest tier

Afloat they ring

The trees with cheer,

Snowflake garlands

Spiral down

As if a fluffy

Rope of snow

With shining snowflakes

Gold, silver, and white

Ornaments shine

Gleam and glitter bright

Quietly lie

In holiday splendor

Jump out at eyes in colors bold

Icicles fringe the tree

New and old

Tis the Yule tree known as

The Grand Doug!

7th Day of Yule

The Sworn Pause of Winter

Time hath paused on the darkest night

Where the stars shine clear and cold

Silence reigns in the blackest chill

As she did in times of old,

The wind is still

And the forest froze

And the shadows sharp may lie

On the snow and stone that chose

To harken to winter’s cry,

The wolves may stand

As statues still

On the ridges that grace the land,

The owls’ flight silent will

A shadow in a shadow be

That it not disrupt the stars

They shall fly ‘neath the canopy,

Velvet paws of cats do not mar

The sheen of the solstice snow

For they lie in wait in the forest

In shadows that only they know

By the stony cliffs’ crest

On the primeval boughs

Sly and alert they lie in wait

In the silence of a thousand vows

Made that they might never abate

By lives that dwelled in ages past

An oath of silence when time shall pause

To remember as long as eternity shall last

Precious memory effect and cause

Remind us in the winter still

Of when the universe was young

And knew not but darkness and chill

Before life had ever begun

In its color and vibrance

In its noise and its light

When the universe took a chance.

6th Day of Yule

Winter Solstice

Even as the shifting tides

Of balance tween the day and night

Have paused upon the precipice

Of solstice,

So the sound of winter nights

Has paused within the dark,

Still is the wind and the forest

Sharp is the light of the stars

In frozen harmony and balance

Poised ere the turn towards light,

Here when the dark runs longest

And the day swift gives way to the night.

5th Day of Yule

5^th Day of Yule

Sleep

Sleep

In the deep of winter

When the snow blankets the land

In the snug warm earth

Or by the temperate sea sand

Sleep

For tomorrow and yesterday to dwell

In dreams of warmer climes

And the tales we may tell

Sleep

In the darkness

As we wait for the light

Dream away in shadows

In the longest night

Sleep

For the future

Will bring trials that spring anew

Remember well the past

But do not live there too

Sleep

Is the call of the forest

And the meadows

Of creatures tucked away

In nests and lairs in shadows

Sleep

Is the wish

Of the hunters in the night

Of wolves and owls

In the cold clear moon light

Sleep

Is the gift

Of winter’s peace

The shadows grace

Light’s trials surcease

Sleep

For dreams

Neath the winter snow

Preserve the past

That the future might know

Sleep.

4th Day of Yule

Unseasonable Flowers

Roses bloom through the month of December

Fuchsias still bloom and primroses linger

The last honeysuckle blossom falls

Though the buds still grow

Winter by the sea

In a warming world

Flowers and mud

Rain and at last a chill that almost freezes

Where is the snow?

In the mountains

Far above us

For we dwell by the sea

There is snow at last in winter

In the mountains that distant be

But where is the snow

To brighten our holiday season?

How could we do this?

There is no worthwhile reason

Knowing what we now know

As we yearn for a December snow.

3rd Day of Yule

Cirque’s Tree

Long ago in a far off spring

A seed unfurled in a sheltered cirque

Where the alpine flowers ring.

As the years turned

Its brethren on the upper slopes

Twisted and morphed in the mountain winds

While the sun burned,

Yet around the cirque’s sides

The winds would whistle

And the rocks above scour

Leaving the cirque’s alpine fir to bide.

Tall it grew and strong and green

Sweet it perfumed the summer breeze

In the center of a cirque that few have seen.

When the nights are long

And the times have paused

By cloud and stars

The wind will whisper a song

Rising up over stone and tree

Drifting down from stars and moon

Entwining where the fir doth grow

A garland of music that none can see,

Twinkling star light

Glinting snow, sparkles

On the dark fir bough in the night,

Icicles from the boughs are strung

Snow dust frosts their green

From vines berries red are hung,

In fiery glory a phoenix flies nigh

With a flickering feather

To adorn the tree on high,

Quiet and majestic the ice dragon flows

Down from the wind

With a gleaming scale on the tree to go,

With a quiet purr Winter’s cats

Stalk down as if the air was velvet

To hang crystalline paw prints with a gentle pat,

With dancing hooves the pegasi

Approach in a concert of silver bells

Wreaths of braids with feathers sigh,

The unicorn with dignity

Touches horn to the garlands of song

Light from star and moon embrace the tree,

From the forest the wolves pace

Snow and shadow twisted spun

A globe to fill a space,

A salamander slithers near

With heat held back from delicate snow

Crystal caught flame to dance, not fear,

The griffons tawny and touched by snow

Beat over the slope above

With amber beads and feathers to show,

Winter fairies sparkle and flit

A glittering cloud cast upon the tree

And silver bells with pixie dust lit,

Beings line the cirque from snow to stone

Sharing their gifts

Here not one is alone,

Wishes warm the air

Brightening the tree with laughter

Born of joy and warmth a golden light

From the lowest tier to the bow with a flair,

Where the fir’s leader meets the night

Radiating love and bathing hearts

Symbolic of their gathering

A golden star is spun of light.

2nd Day of Yule

The Gift of Heat to Winter

In the cold dark winter night

That stretches ever on

Across the fields of snow

And through the haunted forest

When the sky is speckled

By the stars pitiless and sharp

And all the land is cold and dark

When the stones come tumbling

Down the barren mountain

Two come heart to heart

And strike, a spark!

Warm, fiery, glow

Radiate into the winter night

Let your kin join you as you fly

Return heat and hope to the world

One by one the sparks’ light shall show

Speckling the night with heat

In reds and oranges flicker warm

Change the tone of shadows

No longer cast by stars alone

But by flickering fire

Roust from sleep the lightning storm!

As the clouds come rolling in

As the thunder cracks

As light flashes

For the warmth and the fire

We celebrate the din

For the storm heats the land

And the sparks fill the air with magic

Flickering with life and joy

Together changing a winter night

As they thrive hand in hand

For the gift of branches dry

Within a circle of the stone

That gave sparks and shields life

As fire grows and blazes high

A curtain of color rippling

The color of heat and thriving life

As the beings of winter lift their heads

And join around the fire in dance

Bringing wood from which the fire may spring

As it returns the heat of life to air and light

To the long, dark, cold, winter night.

1st Day of Yule

Gift of Light to Shadow

Shard of light, of ice still and cold

Spiral of brightness, gleam in the night,

Quick is the flash of photons reflected

From the mirror bright scale, she beholds

A gift from the Dragon of Winter proud

As he soars over peak and vale

Whilst the darkness lengthens still,

Shining the icicle falls from the bough

Gleaming it slices the air in descent

Sharp and fast with the deadly grace of winter

Towards the merciless stone of the cavern sill

And not the snow that blankets the forest,

Quick as the light ere it was caught

Batting the icicle from its path

And cradling the radiant crystal

The velvet paw from shadow wrought

Clasps the gift to her heart

Slipping down through tunnels queer

Of stone and shadow twisted

Down where Winter’s Breathe may start

In a cavern of crystals spun in shades of blue

Of palest violet and eerie green

In spirals and columns

In a mystical structure of Winter’s hues

Hidden away in the cold and dark

Where shadows cover all

Blending with naught to cast them

Uniform and hidden awaiting a spark

Brought forth by the crystal of ice

A gift from the Dragon of Winter

Who left his lair long ago to darkness

A shard of light that can more than suffice

To return that which can enliven the deep

The caster of shadows

And life bringer to colors

Down in the cold from which Winter seeps

Brought by the shadow through tunnels long

To where she and hers can now bathe in light

Renewal down in the depths

Far from Starlight’s Song.

Evergreen Farewell for Winter Break

Daylight has faded

And the night is drawn up snug

Dark across the land

With the stars and moon above

Waning gibbous moon

Shine ye through the trees

Light my path and guide me home

By the chill winter breeze.

Frost on the grass

Was the mark of the morn

A shaft of golden sunlight

Lit the forest ferns

Softly tumbling mists

That blazed in golden glory

In the still golden ray

Woven through the wood

Straighter than an arrow's flight

Quieter than a still winter's night

Brings life to the mist

In gold touched winter wood

Where the green holds sway

Even now.

Maple Leaves

Maple leaves...
Golden foliage dapple fall
Bright change against the evergreens
Proudly branched your trunk and boughs
Prepare to stand through winter gales
Brave flags ye foliage proudly wave
Celebrate their steadfast dignity
Staunch against the winter fierce
Approaching on the horizon of time.

Rice Fish

As if rice with silver gilt was spilled

In flashing profusion into the estuary

Little fish are darting about

Densely packed wherever the eye can see

Below the shimmering sky on the waves.

A particular fish, with size pronounced

Swims rapidly near the surface

Speeding along as straight as fish could swim

Behind it lithe and undulating

Pale dappled belly towards the sky

A seal hunts

And snaps

Turning down in churning waters

Out of sight

As the fish is now

Forever more.

The seals frolic

In the rice pot thick of fish.

Golden Arcs

Golden arcs ripple forth
Radiating from roots and rocks
Where the quiet lap of the sea rebounds
Barely perceptible the surface waves
Who cast the golden ribbons down
To mingle in interlapping arcs
Over shattered shells and polished stone
Sand and pebbles, muted hues
Softened backdrop for light's play.

Water in the Wood

Sun rays fan out in the trees

Shining show the gray mists' flow

That hides from sight in forest shadow

Tasted on the rain washed air,

Green is joyous full of life

Dripping down in lingering embrace

Of forest and of waters sweet

The rain fall past but not forgotten

For its journey to the ground was slowed

That it might be savored by all the layers of life:

From the canopy whose leaves face the sky

To the liken and moss clad boughs

The vibrant undergrowth of shrub and fern

Devil's club and skunk cabbage in sun touched swamp

And the creek that winds under logs and moss

The dainty herbs in nooks high and low,

Sparkling droplets catch the sun

To be caught in turn by green or ground

The water cycle's merry sound

In quiet drops and exuberant flow

With the taste of the mist in the air.

Rain

Rills are running full of rain

Autumn storms are here again

In the forest fungi spring

Neath the leaves that winds will fling.

Stratification Lab

Dark blue brine on an a shallow slope

Ping-pong plankton afloat

Resting lightly in the water

Caged by translucent plastic

Exposed to the clear element above...

Water, fresh water, such as fills its core.

A slosh sends the layers waving

The blue curls up into fresh

Off the walls rebounding

While the shallow fresh water rolls into quiet.

Crystals of KMnO₄

Potassium permanganate

Fall in magenta streaks

Swirling right in the fresh water

Left in the salt

And darkening the interface

Where the ping-pong plankton floats.

When it settles the magenta traces chaotic patterns

As it settles, where it will.

Squeak, goes the styrofoam as it blocks off one part

Green, turns the water as the yellow is stirred in,

And then

The wall

Is taken

Away!

Mixed salt and fresh the green streaks in

Pushing up the magenta touched clear

And nosing above the darkened salt

Til the spectrum sits quietly

Magenta, green, blue,

And the purple of sediment enriched salt

Stratification that we may see

With eyes our own

Plain in the visible spectrum

As it cannot be

In the untouched reality

Of our home sea.

Sunny Beach from Shady Forest

Sunlight shimmers in the trees

Bouncing off the underside of leaves

Reflected there by gentle waves

From the sun across the bay.

A sturdy log reaches across the beach

Barnacles where the sun and sea may reach

Its roots merged with the bank

In the shelter of the forest.

The sun shines bright on beach and waves

Seagulls squabble, avian knaves

Seen beyond a leafy bower

Where the open eyes can rest.

From sylvan shadow and canopy

Cheery light on shore and sea

Lights the heart with a warm glow

Without harsh glare or heat.

Water rings in forest frame

Where fish to the sunlight came

Stripes of color ripple away

Fading on a quiet day.