In the Snowy Woods

Boots crunching in the soft snow
deep tracks even for young companions
temperature above freezing
Walking into the woods, days after snow
Tracks of animals abound, wild animals,
companion animals too, in the wild place
in the middle of the city
A world apart in the tranquil woods
snow caught in the lee of the branches,
ice clinging to the needles of the pine
the snow on the thin ice, cracked close to shore
water running in brooklets, trickles of water
under, over, through the snow
air cold in the late afternoon
crouching, stilling myself,
to capture an image, a memory
in the snowy woods
a respite with the girls
on a Saturday afternoon

February 10, 2008
Livingston Park, Manchester, NH