The Blues of Winter

"My theory is that poems are written because of a state of emotional irritation….A poem springs from emotions produced by an actual experience, or, almost as forcefully, from those produced by an imaginary experience. In either case, the poem is written to free the poet from an emotional burden. Any poem not so written is only a piece of craftsmanship." ~Sara Teasdale

Every winter I always end up writing poems about the winter blues...my poetry always draws out my emotions on any given day. With this one, as the poem started taking shape, I saw that I was focusing on rhythm and that there was a rhyming pattern, too. Like drawing or painting, a poem never comes out the way you originally think it will...it changes shape just like molding a sculpture would. I always just "go with it" and see where I end up. I like that the rhythm of the rhyming words is soothing, like a lullaby (which the poem refers to). I don't often rhyme in my poems, so this was something different.

Surprisingly, my winter blues have been minimal so far and I'm very grateful! I think a lot of that is my creativity, which has been in full swing these first few weeks of January. Being creative really keeps my spirits up and I forget about the bleak, cold weather outside. I've been painting and also experimenting a lot in PSE with my original art work. It's so exciting to see what I'm learning! There is a world of possibilities with merging my own art with digital enhancements.

Also, if things look a little different in here, it's because I finally got the courage to try and change the appearance of my blog. I was so intimidated, but was finally inspired by my blog friend Kim at Picking Poppies (she has a fantastic blog and I highly recommend visiting often). I'm real happy with my first attempt at a customized blog header. I hope to add some blog buttons, too, at some point...baby steps!

For my photo above, I added in the moon with a layer mask in PSE...I like the dramatic effect. I found a moon image at Flickr in the Creative Commons area. The trees are my own photo taken on our street a few weeks ago. Merging the moon and the trees seemed like a good combination for my poem.

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you struggle with the winter blues, be gentle with yourself...take it one day at a time and make sure you find time to do things that nourish your spirit. It really helps.

THE BLUES OF WINTER

Winter seeps in
And I inhale the
Blueness and bleak
A January creek speaks
Fluid as black ink
And the morning sky
Is a worn, wool gray
Soft against
The bleached bones
Of the oak trees

I feel like
Those bare trees
Struggling to speak
Pleading with the wind
To expel the words they seek
I wrap myself
In June memories
While the hours creep
And my spirit slumps
Tiredly at my feet

Midnight hangs
Like velvet drapes
Heavy and deep
The moon is a pale pearl
A lunar gem against
Sky's ebony cheek
The January creek
Babbles in the dark
Yearning for a lullaby
For some peaceful sleep.

© Sherri Brannon