Windswept

This poem emerged from my heart yesterday morning after I stepped outside to a fresh winter wonderland and a brisk breeze:

Windswept

My dead sister’s wind chimes

brought memories and music

to my ears and mind.

The fresh snowfall

brightened the landscape,

while windswept drifts

and the crisp, cold air

carried more of the past

into the present moment.

A wistful smile

landed on my face,

and a windswept wave of

emotions blew through

my warm and living heart.

Lisa Valentine 11/30/22

I captured these pictures as well. Drifts clinging to the roof over our garage. Nature is an artist like none other. And the wind chimes I got in memory of my sister Mary Jo. She died of metastatic breast cancer on June 16, 2019.

I use the word emerge because that is how it often goes. An emotion or idea is awakened and the lines start to form. I am sometimes surprised by what comes out, and that includes emotions. This is what I love about writing and this is what I appreciate about being a writer. That windswept wave of emotions included grief, and it also included nostalgia for our years of growing up together as a family. It was a beautiful blend of genuine and raw.

That’s all. And that is plenty.