The Days In Careful Measure

LANDSCAPE IN CHIAROSCURO

Striding wide on
webbed bear paws
crunching winter's crystals
we share the night with
luminous-eyed raptors.

Circled by snowtopped
silent monoliths we move
the frozen stillness
ornamenting pad-silent prints.

Wind blows sharp bites
nudging burden from
smothering branches. The
pursuers echo sounds of
silent blame as owl and hare
play their endless game.

Shade reflects the grey
blanket. Pines and spruce
limned against the sky's
blue canopy; the tallest
wearing the moon on its
spire like a cocky trophy.
Hawthornes spread crafty
arms thinking they are
hunters.

Moon spills from
her silver bucket
glowing the way of the silent chase.
Polaris! Greetings from
this ghostly landscape.

Published by Fiddlehead Poetry Books
Fiddlehead Poetry Book no.293
c.1980, Rita Rosenfeld