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Wintry Thoughts
by Ken HarnischIf the choice were mine,
Then rain, not snow
Would be the weather I prefer
In cold, black January.
And the withered trees would only
Be as sentinels along the road
Which, though unwhite,
Would be gratefully traversed for being stone
I find the love of snowy days
Has receded inverse to my age
And if that outs me as curmudgeonly
So be it. I am old enough, and wise,
To choose my seasons carefully
And I choose the brisk bite of autumn
And the green of spring
And the hot, sensual breath of summer
To any of the days of now
Winter is the season, I am sure,
God granted us to die in
And He must wonder
To Himself how it is
When so many of us survive 03/06/2005 Posted on 03/06/2005
Copyright © 2025 Ken Harnisch
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Charlie Morgan on 03/07/05 at 04:24 PM ...ken, you got some pretty words here, m'boy ...you sorta took 'em out of my mouth/head...i am what you describe so elouquently...old folks need to be celebtrated too nahahahaha...good read, peace, chaz |
| Posted by Melissa Arel on 03/07/05 at 08:33 PM I'm not much for Winter myself :) This was really good.. |
| Posted by Kate Demeree on 03/08/05 at 07:07 PM I love the closing on this.... and I... I long for Spring |
| Posted by Paganini Jones on 03/20/05 at 01:09 AM Mmmm. Autums and spring are my favourites. I love the changes and sense of purpose of them. Interesting close. And just as well some survive winter, on the whole! |
| Posted by Paganini Jones on 07/16/05 at 05:30 PM Hypothermia was once known as 'the old man's friend' for it brings death so peacefully. |
| Posted by Kristine Briese on 04/11/07 at 04:11 PM Ken, you're one of my favorite poets here, and this one demonstrates why. Beautiful and a little chilling. I prefer spring and summer, myself. |
| Posted by Bruce W Niedt on 04/12/07 at 12:35 AM Ken, this is a masterful rumination on the season and echoes my own thoughts (see my own recent poem, "Surviving January"). Well-done, and congrats on POTD! d:-) |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 04/12/07 at 01:11 AM Although I find winter a restful time and feel it's place is important to plants and gardeners alike, this is very well written in expressing your preference of seasons. I enjoyed your descriptions here. |
| Posted by JD Clay on 04/12/07 at 05:19 AM This brilliant piece digs deep and delivers the goods, Ken. A view from an oblique angle and great poetics too. And if that weren't enough, POTD. Hats off, Ken! |
| Posted by Kathleen Wilson on 04/12/07 at 07:18 AM There is a wise timelessness to many of the lines, and the center stanza is my favorite. There the "hot, sensual breath" is strong, where your true love is so expressed. |
| Posted by Kate Demeree on 04/15/07 at 03:08 PM Congrats on this being POTD... sorry I missed it... it is well deserved ! |
| Posted by Michelle Angelini on 04/17/07 at 12:32 AM Ken, I must have been caught in a snow drift to not see this sensory poem about the seasons in relation to feelings and age. I love autumn and spring, but the heat of summer here is stifling.
~Chelle~ |
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