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Monday 3 February 2020

Poetry Monday: Water

It's Poetry Monday, and this week's topic is .....WATER.

Join Diane, MotherOwl, Mimi, Merry Mae (although MM has been missing in action for quite a few days now -- I suspect computer troubles) and me as we make a splash with this topic. You can leave your poem in the comments, or post on your own blog. If you do the latter, please leave a comment so we can find you. Use the topic, or choose another - it's all good. The idea is to have fun and exercise our brains so they don't turn to mush quite so fast :)

*****

Not long ago, I started to use my camera and heard a little "dink" sound -- rather ominous in spite of its "dinkiness" -- and then a message came up on the screen: Memory is Full.

This necessitated deleting some photos, quite a few photos, in fact. There were pictures on there from over a year ago. I was surprised it had been so long since I last cleared out old shots, and it was interesting to see pictures and videos I had forgotten taking.

A few of them were taken during a snowfall last year. The snowflakes were huge and well-defined. I stood in the doorway in my winter jacket, with my camera, and discovered that the black, fuzzy material of my jacket made a perfect surface for the flakes to stick to as they landed, and a perfect background to take shots of individual snowflakes.


 


Here's a still shot of one of those snowflakes, enlarged:






The flakes piled up very light and fluffy on the deck railing . . .







. . . and on the trees . . .




It was quiet and peaceful with the snow coming down and I wanted to stand there forever admiring nature's perfection, but my sock-covered feet were getting cold even though I was standing inside the doorway so I reluctantly closed the door on nature and promptly forgot I took those pictures until my camera "dinked" at me.

Good thing my camera has a better memory than I do.

 In case you didn't study this in school, here's a short video on how snowflakes form:





Anyway, this is my take on this week's poetry prompt -- because snowflakes are a solid form of water, of course :)


*****

A Question of Perspective

A grain of dust floats through the air
And turns into a snowflake there
It forms a perfect six-point flake
Like all the others in its wake
Yet different -- every one unique --
Due to chemistry mystique
Their beauty and their symmetry
Inspire me to poetry

So why does dust that falls as ice
Seem so spectacularly nice
When on my jacket sleeve is caught . . .
But dust inside my house does not?
  



 *****

Have a good week, everybody.

Next week's topic is . . . . . . . RELATIVES . . . . .

Good luck!




56 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

That individual snowflake you captured looks like the most precious jewel.
And your poem made me laugh in rueful recognition. Well done.
The ambiance of our home could accurately be described as cluttered and dusty.

River said...

LOVE that housekeeping definition :)
Also love the individual snowflake you captured. When your camera memory is full, why not just by a new memory card?

Anonymous said...

Big grin at your poem and the cat photo.

dinthebeast said...

I'm just getting used to snow. It is quite beautiful, but also a pain, at least for those of us not experienced with living in it.
Briana is just getting home with some cat food, no big deal as it has been a dry-ish January and there's no ice on the roads, but right after we got here, our car got snowed in for two weeks, and there was black ice on the road between here and the highway, which is twisty and dark beneath the trees.
So we have some getting used to this to do when the snow comes back.
I like your poem, and the snowflake picture is wonderful.

-Doug in Sugar Pine

Charlotte (MotherOwl) said...

Love your photos and your poem. We've had no snow this winter, I miss it. And like you I stand watching the falling snow until I turn cold.

Steve Reed said...

That shot of the single snowflake is PERFECT. I'm not sure I've ever seen such a good snowflake!

Red said...

I like the surprise ending.

Marie Smith said...

The symmetry of a snowflake is a wonder of nature. You captured it perfectly in photo and poetry, Jenny.

R's Rue said...

Lovely

Bonnie said...

I love your poem. And your snow pictures are amazing! I've always been blown away by individual snowflakes and then to see the results when they combine with many others.

Cherie said...

Love it. x

jenny_o said...

You would feel right at home here, then, EC :D

That snowflake was so huge! It was amazing to be able to see the detail with the naked eye.

jenny_o said...

I always (eventually!) transfer my photos to our desktop computer - the only way I can put them on the blog is to have them on the computer. I hope our computer doesn't die :)

jenny_o said...

Big grins are good! Yay!

jenny_o said...

Yes, when you live where there is snow and ice you have to think ahead about quantities of food (and pet food) and lay in supplies for some time in case you can't get out. Even here, in the middle of town, if we get a storm we are among the last to be plowed out because we live on a cul-de-sac, so we have to be prepared for at least three days of being housebound. It must be hard to get used to that after not living in that environment. Black ice is especially treacherous.

jenny_o said...

A snowfall seems like magic to me. Every single time!

jenny_o said...

I was surprised to be able to see the detail so well without any kind of magnification. Then with the zoom function on the photo it was even clearer. Those were huge flakes!

jenny_o said...

Heh heh - mission accomplished :)

jenny_o said...

Nature can be so amazing, eh?

jenny_o said...

Thank you :)

jenny_o said...

It's magic, isn't it?

jenny_o said...

Thanks, Cherie!

e said...

Lovely snow flake!

jenny_o said...

It was amazing to see the detail in it.

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

A snowflake is a beautiful thing and Jenny, you captured it beautifully.

Chickens Consigliere said...

I don't think I've ever seen a real close up of a snowflake before. You see the snow coming down. You know it's fancy up close because you've seen drawings of snowflakes your whole life and yet, seeing it your picture there is kind of magical. Love how you compared the outside snowflakes to your inside dust. I guess you could try and make it snow inside your house but that seems like more work than dusting would be.

jenny_o said...

Thank you, Arleen - they are beautiful individually, aren't they?

jenny_o said...

Yes; yes it does :)

Also it would have to be pretty cold inside to make it snow, and I'm already minding the winter temperatures as it is - lol

Janie Junebug said...

That's a great shot of the individual snow flake. Very cool. As always, I love your poem.

Love,
Janie

messymimi said...

You have hit it -- where the dust is located makes all the difference.

We get snow so seldom down here that it is still magical to us, a form of water we just don't get to play with that often.

Diane Henders said...

Your snowflake photos are beautiful! How nice of your camera to remind you of them. :-) And I love your poem. The next time somebody catches me with a dusty house, I'm going to tell them that I'm stockpiling critical scaffolding for complex crystalline structures. It sounds so much better than "I hate dusting". ;-)

jenny_o said...

Thanks, Janie Junebug :)

jenny_o said...

I still love to see the snow falling. It seems magical to me, too.

jenny_o said...

Now THAT's how to spin things!

I need to borrow that. Please? :)

Susan said...

Thanks for sharing such a lovely moment. I was just reading an article about the poet Ross Gay and his views on the cultivation and sharing of delight. Your post illustrates his point of view perfectly.

baili said...

this is amazing and beautiful sharing dear Jenny :)))

i must thank your camera who's reminder made this possible

your enlarged image of snowflake was ASTONISHINGLY MIND BLOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wow i can imagine how contemplative you are to see,observe and share it HATS OFF TO YOU!!!!
special thanks for sharing this video which made me know snowflakes more :)

loved your poem either ,conclusion made me smile though :)))
thank you for beautifying my day with your insight and humor always!
blessings and hugs!

37paddington said...

Just add freezing temps and water! Though I'm not sure you want those perfect flakes inside your house!

jenny_o said...

What a kind thing to say - and now I've found and read one (so far) of his poems and found it mesmerizing ...

jenny_o said...

I'm glad you enjoyed the snowflakes, baili - sometimes I forget that not everybody has the chance to see them as much as we do. They really are quite magical to me too. Hugs, my friend :)

jenny_o said...

Hah! You're right :D

Diane Henders said...

Be my guest! :-)

jenny_o said...

Thanks! With my memory, I may need to print it out and carry it around with me, though :D

John M said...

I love snowflakes.

SpikesBestMate said...

Enjoyed every bit of your blog today and feel thoroughly uplifted. The housework quote made me laugh - it's me to a 'T'.

jenny_o said...

Me, too! Except possibly when there are so many of them they sit three feet high in our driveway :)

jenny_o said...

Oh, thank you! Yeah, housework isn't my favourite thing :)

Martha said...

That enlarged snowflake is amazing! It's incredible how beautiful they are, isn't it?

Loved the poem! I don't like the dust in the house because I have to clean it. But anywhere else...meh...not my problem :)

jenny_o said...

One by one, snowflakes ARE amazing! When they get in a herd is when the problems start :D

Cleaning outside dust is pretty futile, right? lol

nothoughtsnoprayersnonothing said...

So very informative and creative! If only all learning could be presented that way. Love your poem.

jenny_o said...

Thanks, Merry Mae - it's good to have you back :)

only slightly confused said...

Beautiful snowflakes.each one a little jewel. And your poem is delightful...a little jewel also.

jenny_o said...

Thanks, Delores :)

It's always good to see you pop up in the comments, here and on other blogs. Hope all's well with you.

Mr. Shife said...

Ha. I can relate to your housekeeping style. We have the same issues at Casa de Shifley.

jenny_o said...

Heh :)

Susan Kane said...

A lovely poem! Snowflakes are amazing.

jenny_o said...

Aren't they just? :)