Can you even solve a single riddle
Of life’s inscrutable mysteries,
Before it escapes, like a runaway bride,
Into the midnight sun?
You have crawled through the marshes
Of your existence, met dragonflies as heavy as rocks,
Yet not once, have you been able to hitch a ride.
Bright days are blind
To the night, to darkness
Stumbling in between stars,
And trees hiding their barrenness
Behind palms of wildflowers.
Where are we to hide our fears
In such shadowless days?
Even the brightness of the snow
Has given up against Night.
Only a trail of iced footprints
Is left to reflect the stars.
There is something so mesmerizing about Nordic winters. Perhaps because I grew up in the North, but I believe flocks of tourists would still agree with me.
There is something about the light…And I am not just talking about the northern lights. I am talking about the sun. So pale, but intensely lemon yellow. So low on the sky, it barely dips its head above the horizon. Making it feel as though it is always dusk or dawn.
And when it reflects on the crisp snow, or the thinly iced over fjords or lakes. Magic happens…
There is something about the air…always so clear and cold. Washing over your face in the morning, instantly refreshing you. There is not even a hint of pollution in that air. It just smells of ocean and trees and snow.
I love the soft blueness of cloudy days. It feels as though you have walked in to a world painted in all shades of pastels. Even people’s faces take on a softer and more mellow glow. And there is a quiet that comes with that softness. Only accompanied by the the sound of surf against the harbor and booted feet stepping in new snow.
Nordic Winters can seem lonely for those who appreciate social noise and crowds of people. You can walk along a street not seeing any other soul. But if you look closer you will see the light behind windows. Candle light and little warm glowing lamps and fire places. You might hear a faint sound of music or laughter. Or perhaps even get a glance of a family huddled up under blankets drinking coffee or cocoa to keep warm.
You might think this is not a very hospitable place for animals to live in. But our lake birds prefer to winter over here. They will always get plenty of food by walkers-by and even though most lakes freezes over, the ocean is never far away. You will see ducks and swans waddling on thin ice all through winter. It is a cozy and rather funny sight.
There certainly is something magic about Nordic Winters that I don’t find anywhere else in the world, even in cold and snowy countries. I think it has to do with the topography, the climate and the lack of pollution. It truly is a Winter Wonderland. That is, if you dress yourself properly. 😄😄
The song of the trees,
The whistle of the sea…
Thoughts without image
Pouring into my imagination,
Following the trail of Orion,
Or just a path of mouse paws
On the snow.
I am covered in Dawnlight
My snow boots deeply sunk into the night
And sun melting the icicles in my hair.
I fill my pockets with blue crisp stars
And lift myself into your arms.
But when I try to show you the light in my pockets
You see nothing but the beauty of my skin
Tanned by summer days.
And when I dance, I dance alone
With the moon singing in my thoughts.
Hiding behind your busy words
There is a silence:
A rendering of deep forests covered in snow
And oceans, glazed over by winter,
Where neither swans or magpies
Can reach you.
