#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

February Storm

. . . As the lights brighten, as the sky darkens,

a woman with crooked heels says to another woman

while they step along at a fair pace,

"You know, I'm telling you, what I love best

is life. I love life! Even if I ever get

to be old and wheezy—or limp! You know? . . .

~ Excerpt from “February Evening in New York,” by Denise Levertov

Ice soup in the front yard. All the snow melting in magnificent puddles. Ice storm of February after snow, the kind of weather that has very little to redeem it. Unpleasant slush to walk in and a chill wetness. I take Charlie out for a very short stroll through slush. Driving is unsafe and messy. It’s a day I’ve set aside for packing and organizing. The workmen are gone which is a huge relief. Mid-day I run some necessary errands and take my swim. It’s so gray outside it seems like it must be almost 5:00 but it’s only early afternoon. Still, it’s a fine swim that gives me energy instead of taking it. I think, I’ll go for half a mile, but I go for the whole mile and it’s very satisfying to feel better crossing the sloshy parking lot on my way home. I found this delightful poem by Denise Levertov and it was a bright spot in the day. The kind of poem you’re glad to find on a low-lit February day like today. I was hoping so much to see my youngest and her boyfriend for a cheerful dinner but ended up advising her not to come out in this awful weather and bad driving conditions. Tonight the aquifer is filling to the brim. The wetlands spreading and the river rising.