prairie snow blows a fine veil
that drifts into corners and doorways
dusts crevasses of fence boards
hangs virgin mantles like billowed skirts
on bent spruce boughs
snow sculpts curves in a roadside
curls waves over driveways
transforms ice into diamonds
on deck railings and dog fur
snow softens sun in a thin white sky
a silver medallion on dry pale skin
it muffles sound, blurs […]
the wind before storm
rushes over the campground
ruffling canopy, prickling raindrops, billowing tarp
tatters of cloud, holes full of sunlight
a whirlwind of dust crosses the road
the aspen canopy whispers
to grassy marsh meadows
where hushed leaves brush
the bones of dead trees
on the trail with our wolf dog,
who’s hot on the scent
muscles are tense, ready to sprint
released, she’s gone
trailing a […]
high in blue Alberta sky
sundogs, cluster around a sun
dusted with diamonds.
in the wind-swept glare below
quicksilver snow creatures
slide over the road, like coyotes.
icy veils shiver, obliterate track
smooth sculptures of snow waves
in ditches.
~ Kathie Sutherland
Kathie Sutherland is mapping out inner landscapes these days, curious about the way outer landscapes reflect inner emotional weather patterns and seasonal life […]
range steers lumber,
a slow meander, nodding
in a buzz of august heat.
folks murmur
in a thin shade,
lean back, ankles crossed.
on a plank table,
summer supper is pushed away.
at sunset, night drifts in
on the cool breeze
dries the skin,
quivers the aspens,
breathes billows
into silken skirts of firelight.
dusk settles,
a blanket of silence
over the heat;
and trickster sings
voice quavering
across the full round […]
old friend,
trapped in lonely
web-lined skin,
a tent on brittle bones,
release your breath
release your life from a body
dying into dust.
heavy in my arms,
in deep narcotic sleep,
cancer pain at bay,
her head lies soft
against my chest.
at the window
a curtain of branches, weeps
a sweep of air
waits for you.
clouds gather
into billowed drifts
like energies on a life horizon.
your last breath
surrenders
wind-stretches
like cirrus […]
