Winter winds weep as they lay their
sorrow in the folds of my dress
Crows bleed feathers as their skin
grows loose from painful hunger
Brown eyes deposit luster within a
hollow oyster where the sun hides
Sepia runs a palette of winter grays
upon the face of a swollen clown
Whitewashed boulders bleached
from a tired sun, mark her grave
My heart was sown and tied like
a roast, to transfix a state of woe
Rosemary blows her zest into my
nostrils, smells of wood and earth
Imprints of half-shells, doe hooves
cast in clay, with their tender cues
Warnings to fawns whose spots
now migrate to heavenly bodies
Trees lean from thinning, God’s
ardor plucks them like toothpicks
Embers burn the sky in a radiant
swathe, while soporific waters hum
This season, I pray that everyone could be blessed with a warm home, food to eat, family to hug, and to go to bed without fear. I also want to thank those who have been praying for me and to let you know that your prayers have been heard. I know people from our community who have suffered losses of loved ones this year and for each of you, I will be thinking and sending up a special prayer for you and your families. Thank you for your love and continued support.
Thank you and have a Merry Christmas.
Hello John, I hope that you have family coming over and that you are looking forward to having some time with those you love. Merry Christmas to you too, and blessings always to you. ❤️⭐️❤️
Thank you. I am actually going to family. You have a very Merry Christmas.
What a blessing my friend and safe travels. We will have a Merry Christmas. ✝️🎄⛪️
Beautiful!
Thank you Tim and I hope you and your loved ones have a beautiful time off and that nature blesses you with the love of the land and all your beautiful furry and feathery family members. Love Joni
A lovely reading by Scott.. and beautiful writing, Joni. Thanknyou for sharing of your passion and creativity my dears.
Thank you dearest Nigel. You are very kind I told Scott you enjoyed his narration and he appreciated your kindness words. I saw you posted something for Christmas. We will read it together. We have had you on our minds. You must miss your mom and sisters during the holidays. I know they miss you. We both send our love Nigel. 🙏⭐️🙏
You’re welcome Joni. I should hopefully make a trip home again for mid January.
Oh I am glad to hear that Nigel. I know you are a close family. Hopefully you can spend some time with your brother. We love you Nigel. ✝️⛪️🎄✝️
Always make time for him..saw his this morning lol. Love you guys. 🙂
Oh what a blessing. I am grateful you two are not only physically close enough to visit but that you spend time together. Family can be such a blessing for so many. So happy you two are there for one another. ❤️🙏❤️
Yeah… it’s always good to pop round and visit. He’s always busy, so had to catch him on his way for coffee at 630 lol
That sounds nice Nigel. He sounds like a great brother too. You are both blessed. ❤️
This beautiful poetry touches my heart, Joni! 💖 It says so much about winter that my mind works to absorb it all.
Oh thank you Timothy. The earth and critters sure go through a difficult time during the winter months. Thank you so much for your thoughtful response and I am delighted you enjoyed it. I hope you get to see all your family over the holidays. Wishing you many blessings and lots of new and wonderful memories with the little ones. 🙏
We’re getting together Sunday, Joni. It will be a blessing. I hope you have a blessed Christmas time too, Joni. 🙏
What a wonderful blessing. You all enjoy the time together. Boy, getting together with the family is such a gift. Please give your whole family my best wishes for a holiday full of wonderment and joy. Thank you, Timothy. We will have a good time whatever we do, but my daughter and her family, including our grandkids, go to Hawaii every year, and she works so hard that I am grateful that they get to go.
So beautifully written Joni and I really enjoyed Scott’s reading. In the winter so many animals perish and go hungry. Here, in our mild climate, I watch the birds, the Baltimore Orioles, the Summer Taningers, the little wrens, filling their beaks in a milder, friendlier climate to sustain life and yet…when it gets warmer, they travel back to where they came from 6 months earlier. How amazing truly is Nature and you paint her in words and colors like no other. .. my friend. Alhamdulillah you are feeling better and have finally found relief…Big hugs and Merry Christmas dear friend. Much love to you both…Karima ❤️🤗❤️
You are just surrounded by the beauty of nature and the sounds of so many birds. Scott heard a wren the other day but I missed it and I always think of you and the banana feast you provide them with. The deer are very thin and we try to feed them but they are fearful because their cover hardly provides a safe environment. Thank you for your kind words about Scott’s narration-it made him smile. By the way I just love the sampling of Gino’s models come to life – what a treat. Your “Alchemy,” piece is such a perfect one for this year’s holiday. Thank you for that gift dear Karima. Alhamdulillah, yes I am better, many thanks for your kind prayers. Big hugs, love and I am always so grateful for your friendship. ❤️⭐️❤️
Thank you for a beautiful poem Joni & nice to hear Scott read it. I listened twice before I read it. Prayers for continued healing & feeling safe, happy, loved & less pain. You both are so important in my journey, thank you for being as you are. I wish you both a lovely Christmastime & the joy of celebrating our Lord’s birth. I love you soul sister
My dearest soul sister, you have been on my mind so much today. I have been counting the days. Joy, love, and God’s Grace which I certainly don’t deserve but He is there anyway. I am so happy to call you my dear friend and share our joys and sorrows with one another. This is a time of celebration and peace. I love you tight back. ✝️⛪️✝️
This is so beautiful, Joni! Wishing you a Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Thank you so much Dawn for your kind words as they mean a lot. I hope you have a wonderful Holiday and I am grateful that you have had such a blessed year with so many wonderful and successful publications. Many hugs 🤗 🎄⭐️
Joni, this is sublime, transcendent writing. Your unique imagery is startlingly profound in places, and the sense of forlorn silence really resonates with me. You continue to lead the way with your deep and contemplative poetry. This is writing on a completely different level, my friend.
I hope you’re doing well and enjoying the holiday season. Here’s wishing you a wonderful Christmas and New Year filled with hope and healing. All the best to you and Scott, from my world to yours. 😊
My dear friend, how you have been on my mind. I always look forward to your comments. If I get a nice comment from you, I always feel like I have made some kind of mark. I am sure you know I have not had the time or inclination to write much lately, which is difficult for me. This poem was like a birth in that it truly explains how I feel about the sadness resonating in nature in the cold grays of winter. Everything is starting to be extremely obvious in regards to the building of bigger and bigger homes and deforestation. The profound effect can be easily found on our land, for example. The trees were thinned probably by the original property owner. Now, when the wind blows, the other trees’ roots, etc., are not there to help protect the leaning trees, and they just fall over and split. Every time I see a new tree lying on the floor of the sparse land I want to cry. The deer are skinny and fearful because they have hardly any cover in the winter. Many people have no idea how precious nature is, and I am thankful for every person who drives to raise awareness concerning nature. Thank you so much for your gracious comment and kindhearted reading of my poem. I so appreciate it, and it always makes my day. I am such an enormous fan of your writing, so if you have a nice comment it just makes me feel like I just may be making a difference. Love you Mike
Another gift from you pen. <3 I join in your prayer, Joni. I wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas!
Dearest Anna, Merry Christmas to you, and I am so delighted you join in my prayer. Our beautiful world is hurting, and it brings me great sadness to watch it. I wish you a very special time of thankfulness for this holiday and the promise it brings. It is honestly just like any day for us except to give thanks. Sending you great big hugs and lots of love and prayers, dearest Anna. Love you, Joni
Beautiful Joni. Thank you for your friendship and love, wishing you and yours a lovely Christmas and happiest of new years!❤
Thank you, dearest Tiffany. I feel very grateful to have your friendship and love and I pray that you find joy and happiness today. Merry Christmas and lots of love heading your way, beautiful.
This is so Beautiful!!!!
Thank you so much dear Belladonna. I have never seen trees like here in VA. They have been thinned too much I think. Love you sweetie. ❤️🙏❤️