“The Hush of the Snow”

Cherry

By Rhiannonw

Tue, 27 Jun 2017
  • 4812 reads
15 comments
 

“The Hush of the Snow” by James Forsyth

Snow-laden sky
all still
soft chill.

Only the artist’s footprints break
white blanket
– his view as ours,
sits muffled, wrapped to catch the scene,
the solitude and pause –
rough sketch;

soon back indoors, snug, warm
– like latent life’s tight coil
in buds of snow-touched twigs,
and seeds, bulbs dormant under duvet-covered soil –

to slowly paint the soothing hush.

[IP this week: Ekphrastic poetry or prose]

 

Certificate U
Poem
Nature
Nature
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

I'm enticed into this painting by your words Rhiannon, such a peaceful scene you've created in this poem.

Thank you for sharing.

Jenny.

 

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you for that comment, Jenny. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Tom Brown on

This is first-class work. What do you mean "by James Forsyth"?

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Tom.

It is the painting  (which he called, "The Hush of the Snow") that is by James Forsyth. The IP this week suggested trying to write pieces descriptive of a painting, or 'telling the story' of a painting or photograph, possibly imaginatively (called Ekphrastic). James Forsyth was a playwright, painter and poet, whom we knew a few years ago when he was quite elderly, but still busy, and my husband was involved with printing some of his verse.

Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

A lovely sense of silence created here, beautiful.

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Helen. Pleased to know you found it so. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you for the cherries. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by jeand on

Hi rhiannon

This is lovely.

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, Jean. Glad you liked it. It was good to look at the picture more carefully and think about the scene and the painitng. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Good poem. I like the last line the best.

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, Elsie. Yes, its nice to picture him painting the soothing hush of the scene, and being satisfied that he has 'caught it' in his painting. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by fatboy74 on

like latent life's tight coil - lovely, a poem so delicate the act of reading it might break it.

 

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you very much for that comment. And lovely to hear from you. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

So beautiful. The short first lines make me think of how the air seems thicker/heavier when it's cold, so that your breath floats on it. And "break" at the end of the fourth line immediately makes me hear the crunch, as if the line were the snow surface and the word broke it. Also, "the solitude and pause" focuses the mind's eye on the artist, alone, concentrating, intent. And the reader pauses as it's the end of the line, so clever. And then the much faster thrilling LIVELY rythm

like latent life’s tight coil
in buds of snow-touched twigs,
and seeds, bulbs dormant under duvet-covered soil

you can feel the artist's blood going quicker as he warms up, just as the buds will come to life. Makes me think of Dylan Thomas' "The force that through the green fuse drives the flower". And then the last line all the S's sound like slickness of oil paint. GENIUS

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

D'you know, I really found that analysis lovely, there is so much you aren't really conscious of as you write, and yet those aspects of the scene were with me so much as the poem came together. It would have been lovely to share it and talk it through with the painter had he been alive still. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and appreciation and enjoyment. Rhiannon