winter milkshake walk
...soak up the sun before Punxsutawney Phil gets out from his burrow...
winter milkshake walk
Brr... it was a bit cold a walk...
a space... gifting my soul
some peace and quiet... perhaps
a settling down pace kind
thought something a bit colder
may help... a chocolate milkshake
from ice cream parlor Parlour
on my way to a market in Durham
now I know what it takes walking
a chilly winter mile blissfully
my soul smiling soaking in the sunrays
with a straw in a milkshake cup
not unlike a hot cup of coffee
on a hot humid late August day
been meaning to chill outside
get up at dawn brew coffee
on a wintry day and just walk
get out the door in drizzle or dry
to the middle of the street go
walk the center yellow lines
far as the horizon eyes can see
the red yellow green lights waiting
automatic in their own ways
stopping cautioning safely
in some ways similar to our life’s
contact with nature seasonally
the sun’s end of day dip to dusk
moon giving refuge to the day’s tasks
feeling the strange eerie quiet
without traffic fog here and there
sweet songs of some
early chirping small birds
a beautiful day waiting
possibly and i walk on
no other soul in sight
all alone on the streets
along the double yellow lines
just walking reflecting
as the sun slowly rises
fog lifting on this Sunday morn
pace after silent pace
each step seems in sync
with the sun by me rising
warmth in my whole body
deep breaths a couple
exhaled frosty air
into my rubbing palms
front porch waiting
back home sat down
for a hot dark brew
scoring a line down my throat
like a clear single malt shot
a shot times you needed most
nothing more exhilarating
an opening of one’s being
on a chilly dawn seeing
the break of day from the spine
of an empty buzzing city street
nothing complicated just a naked soul
on a Sunday morning walk
clearing a monkey mind night before
a tiny speck near invisible this soul
creating a tiny shadow a lifetime walk
many things been looked at
in the space of time offered me
all kinds beautiful all kinds ugly
varieties that test one’s constitution
the sun continues to rise
sweet things often times
do not come early in life
donuts for one not anywhere seen
this early morning not ‘til the sun
casts more shadows sustaining us
but blessed my soul... tranquil it is
walking the double amber lines
of the artery during a buzzing workday
eerily dead before sunrise on Lord’s Day
a gorgeous event before my eyes...
eons of times seen by the tapestries of
humankind since “let there be light”
the breaking of dawn singularly peaceful
the sun scattering light sustaining life
casting shadows
groundhog Phil secluded from
comes out briefly in winter
to see or not see
the shadow Helios casts
***
...poem inspired by my son Jason
...two line stanza inspired by a Titan goddess Thea, a neighbor
©ndr 02.02.2024
Photo: ndr Durham W Trinity Street
...a letting go walk of the day’s angst...an embracing of the past and what’s ahead...
and behold!...Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow...”Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an early spring in 2024 is on the way during Groundhog Day celebration. Just after sunrise, February 2, Punxsutawney Phil stepped out of his burrow during the annual celebration in Gobbler's Knob, Pennsylvania, and did not see his shadow.”
