Virginia in January - Writing the Poem
Looking out of the window, I see a tree with its branches full of ice, much like the one I walked my dog by on an evening in January 2019 that inspired me to write Virginia in January.
This is the poem:
Virginia in January
Outside with my dog on
this silver evening
with gold streaked pink
blushing above the
pines crowned by
yesterday’s Winter storm
and, now, the last light
of the day is captured
in ice crystals
frozen to the tips
of the Japanese cherries
recently pruned so
they may blossom
in the Spring only
to have their
tiny white petals
fall like snow
covering the ground
Notes:
It was a beautiful day following a wintry mix from the day before. I was leaving work, and my Chihuahua needed a little walk before driving home. Along the sidewalk were a row of trees that had been recently pruned, their smooth naked branches full of ice that sparkled in the remains of the sunlight. At that moment, I was only present in the beauty of my surroundings and appreciating it all. Everything that transpired before that moment was released, and I was one with the trees, the sunset, and the wagging tail of my dog. I was so grateful to be aware of the beauty of the walk and to know that in a few months, the same setting would possess a different beauty that would, in some ways, mimic the same scene.
Writing the poem:
Before driving home, I took a few minutes in my car and recorded a memo of what I had just experienced, knowing I wanted to capture it in a poem.
I wanted the reader to walk with me, so I decided to write the poem in present tense using tercets with little punctuation. The poem is one sentence broken up into six stanzas. Using this form, I slowed the poem’s pace where the reader can spend time with each stanza, hoping that they will be present in their day, even in the moments that don’t necessarily feel significant.
Playlist while writing this post: