Linda Kulp Trout

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Winter Mornings

I love snow days!  Sometimes I think we teachers love them as much as the kids do!  There's nothing better than waking up on a winter morning to find several inches of new fallen snow. I love how the world becomes suddenly quiet and everything slows down, no rushing out the door at 5:45 AM, no long commute to work, or scrambling to the copy machine to beat the crowd.  Nope! A snow day is all about having precious unexpected time to make a crock-pot of vegetable soup, savoring the smell of homemade rolls in the oven, sipping cups of hot cocoa, and curling up with a good book. 

My husband has a different idea about what makes a perfect snow day.   He walks about five miles most every day regardless of the weather.  He likes to walk in the early morning or late evening, especially in winter. He says the frozen air energizes him. I enjoy going for walks outside too, but not when temperatures dip below zero! 

For Christmas, he gave me a copy of Ted Kooser's WINTER MORNING WALKS: one hundred postcards to Jim Harrison.  So while my hubby was out for his walk,  I enjoyed a winter morning walk of another kind with one of my favorite poets.
                                                     

There are so many lovely poems in this collection. Today I'm sharing one that has special meaning to me because my mother passed away June 10 (technically still spring), and this was our first Christmas without her.  It begins:

december 31

Cold and snowing.
The opening pages forgotten,
then the sadness of my mother's death
in the cold, wet chapters of spring.

You can read the rest of the poem here.   The poem is toward the bottom of the page.
You can also read about composer Maria Schneider setting the poems to music.

Be sure to stop by and say hello to Tara at her new blog site A Teaching Life , and have a delightful Poetry Friday!

11 comments:

  1. It's a beautiful metaphor in the poem, that 'bibliography of leaves'! I'm sorry for your loss.

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  2. Ted Kooser is such a wonderful poet. I have several of his books. Thank you for the good thoughts, Linda. : )

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  3. Snow seems to be the theme of the day. I love Ted Kooser. I met him once years ago. I don't have this collection, though. Your husband sounds like mine with his running and his sweet gifts of poetry. So sorry for your loss. The holidays are the toughest times. Hope you are finding peace in the winter mornings.

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    1. Margaret- I'd love to hear more about the time you met Ted Kooser. It sounds like it would make an interesting Poetry Friday post!
      You're right, holidays are the hardest. Thank you for your kind thoughts. : )

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  4. I'm so glad I followed the link--the ending is gorgeous.

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    1. Yes, it is. Ted Kooser's poems are amazing!

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  5. Hi, Linda. I'll have to pick up this Ted Kooser book. Do you know his book of poetic monologues "Blizzard Voices"? With the polar vortex happening now, it's a compelling read about how extreme weather affects people.

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    1. Laura- I have several of his books, but I don't know that one. I'll have to look for it. Thanks for sharing it with me. : )

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  6. I like the good use you make of a snow day. I'm with you, liking to walk, but the dog is pretty much on his own for a quick dash across the yard when the temps are below zero. What a lovely gift from your husband -- I loved Ted Kooser's crow at the end. I'm sorry for the difficult holiday. My husband lost his dad, a good man if ever there was one, around the time you lost your mom. His nephew came to our Christmas with his wife and their four year old, which kept us merry amidst the missing. Hope you get a few more snow days with poetry and hot chocolate and the quiet snow brings.

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  7. What a moving poem -- the bibliography of falling leaves and the index of bare trees spoke most to me. Thank you for sharing, and my sincere condolences.

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  8. So many "snow day" posts this week, but none as poignant as this. The Ted Kooser poem is beautiful. Thank you for sharing, Linda.

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