Tag Archives: snow

Endings and Beginnings: THIS is a Great Day

Winter Wonderland by Maria L. Berg 2022

I woke up in a winter wonderland. It started snowing yesterday evening, and the snow stuck. There was about a half foot of snow when the sun came out. I was so excited to try my reflection balls in the snow. What a great way to celebrate finishing my draft.

I Did It! I wrote THE END on my novel draft. Over 100,000 words in one month. I’m so excited and happy: not only because I pushed through to the end, but because I get to put it away while I read books, and work on revising my poems for the Chapbook challenge, and then I get to come back to it to start the new year off right.

Contradictory Abstract Nouns

Last month I looked at a different combination of abstract nouns each day, however each of them was related to the big five: beauty, truth, wisdom, love, or happiness. So this month I’m going to sort them back into the big five and review what I’ve learned. It’ll be interesting to see if collecting the images back into their big five counterparts leads to different ideas for the what their contradictions are, and what their unification looks like.

Reflections in the Snow by Maria L. Berg 2022

dVerse Poets Pub

For today’s Meeting the Bar prompt Laura challenges us to look back over our recent poems and make a poem out of twelve of our last lines to celebrated the twelfth month. What a great way to start my review of the poems I wrote in November for the Poem a Day challenge.

Forgetting Every Ending Leads to No Beginnings

You can’t be disappointed, if you have no expectations
perhaps forgetfulness is the cleanse
so cross that bridge over and over
in the glow of morning

as serious as life and death
that sweet resolve
to defraud the people pretending to live
the blue bottle in the icebox waiting to warm the way down

I knew that my dream holiday repast had finally come and gone
when I was given a cup of cocoa, and told to go upstairs
on second thought I see it like it is
nothing promised, no regrets

So that’s it. November is over. It was an amazing month. I’m looking forward to reviewing everything I created, and polishing it in the future. For now, I am going to get lost in some reading, exercise, and cleaning the house. Have a great weekend! I’ll be back some time next week.

Unlocking New Doors

Wonder World by Maria L. Berg 2022

I’m sitting at my desk, looking at these pictures, singing “This is freakin’ fun, this is freakin’ fun.” Though many of this morning’s experiments didn’t work (the filter didn’t work with my other lenses, so I couldn’t put “WONDER” on the mountain), I’m still so excited about my ability to put words in my world. I love to put wonder in the world and it is also one of Of Maria Antonia’s 2022 Weekly Photo Challenge prompts. It was also fun to discover that the color of the ink is captured, so that can add more possibilities. I’ve decided, as a little side project, I’m going to put my favorite words on my world, one a day all year. I won’t post them here, but maybe at the end of the year, I’ll make a book of them or something.

A fish-eye lens view of the lake and sky with the word "WONDER" in orange floating in the clouds.
A Sky Full of Wonder by Maria L. Berg 2022

New Poem

Poetic Bloomings Prompt #367 – Old or New challenges to write an “open door” poem or a “closed door” poem.

Opening Doors

A revolving door is
at first, fun, exhilarating
pushing the heavy bar
running in circles
watching sidewalk then lobby
park then escalator
man walking dog
woman with briefcase
through the glass

Now I’m stuck and want out
to reach my destination
but I’ve built up speed
and inertia keeps
a body in motion

I want new doors
perhaps heavy oak
with worlds of secrets behind them
I want keys to locked doors
big, ornate, heavy keys
that are kept in locked chests
that need little keys to unlock them
because the process
is the adventure
and unlocking those doors
opens awe and wonder
that won’t come around again

Wonderful Snow by Maria L. Berg 2022

I haven’t heard from any of you yet about what you would like to experience this year on Experience Writing, so I thought I would try a poll. Thank you in advance for sharing your answers.

Happy Reading and Writing!

Sun Worship on a Snowy Day

Reindeer Log by Maria L. Berg 2021

New Poem

Oh Sun, We Have Missed You

Today we worship the sun
eyes closed, we absorb
It pets us with photons
enters us and makes us light
See orange turn to pink
behind our lids
filled with warm calm
our cheeks lift
as our faces float
We curl up and breathe it
let it fill our cavities
like bird bones
The vibrating surface
reflects its caresses
like blown kisses
shimmering fire hearts
sent across the lake
The shadows have already shifted
the sun moved to the next window
but our eyes still glow

Yule Log by Maria L. Berg
Water Log by Maria L. Berg 2021
December Daily Prompts by Maria L. Berg 2021 Please leave your links in the comments. I hope you will join me.

Happy Reading and Writing!

Fuzzy Mittens on a Snowy Day

Kitty Mittens by Maria L. Berg 2021

Today’s photo prompt “mittens” inspired me to get wrapped up in my snow clothes and go play in the snow. Kitty came out to guide me home.

My Snow Angel by Maria L. Berg 2021

New Poem

Slippers for Hands

I don’t own any mittens
I searched the drawers
and the cubbies in the closet
I have gloves
gore-tex gloves for skiing
knitted gloves lined with fleece
wine colored gloves with white fur cuffs
but no mittens
I shouldn’t be surprised
but I am
I always had mittens
growing up
off-white wool mittens
from Sweden
but you don’t need mittens
in New Orleans
since I never liked mittens-
I found them restricting-
why would I replace them
after evacuating
the closest thing I have
to mittens
are the slipper socks
I got for Christmas
when I first saw them
I pulled them over my hands
and tugged them up my arms
and said “or sleeves”
so I pull them on now
they are so soft inside
they reveal how dry my hands are
so I remove them and slather my skin
with moisturizer-wait-then apply again
I want the full softness experience
I pull my mittens up
over my elbows
like fuzzy opera gloves
the navy, white, and sky bumps
feel good on my face
I have no fingers
I have no thumbs
I can pick up my book
open it to my bookmark
but the pages turn in bunches
I cannot turn to the next page
after much trial and error
I bend down and stick my tongue
to the upper right corner
at first the saliva collects
tiny blue fuzz
but then
success
I read that page
and the next
with warm hands
wrapped in soft hugs

Snow Kitty by Maria L. Berg 2021
December Daily Prompts by Maria L. Berg 2021 Please leave your links in the comments. I hope you will join me.

Happy Reading and Writing!

Sunlight on the Snow

Snow Love by Maria L. Berg 2021

Today I learned that I can make bokeh shapes with sparkles on the snow. If the sun had stayed out, I would have played with all my filters, but it only peeked out from the clouds for a moment.

Such Lovely Snow by Maria L. Berg 2021

New Poem

Snow Day

Sunlight dancing on the snow enraptures
sparkling rainbows on every surface captivate
blissful seagulls dive and rise in thrilling chase
floating, flying fervent frenzy of freedom
rapturous revival raw and wild
the still silence entrances
a dreamy delicious day

Snow Love Two by Maria L. Berg 2021
December Daily Prompts by Maria L. Berg 2021 Please leave your links in the comments. I hope you will join me.

Happy Reading and Writing!

Return with the Snowglobe

Waking Up Inside a Snowglobe by Maria L. Berg 2021

This morning I received a real snowglobe world.

My Snowglobe Footprint by Maria L. Berg 2021

New Poem

The prompt at Poetic Bloomings today is Prompt #366 – Many Happy Returns which challenges us to write a return poem.

Fleeting

She will never return
that woman of yesterday
before this morning’s snow
before the candycane
melted in this coffee
she is but a blip of history
a snug memory
of the woman I used to be
She will never return
that woman of this morning
before putting on boots
to make footsteps in the snow
before grabbing the camera
to make snowglobes
before jumping back
under the covers
to cuddle with the cat
and listen to him purr
she was still half asleep
and she stayed there
with all the possibilities
ahead of her
I will never return
the me staring out the window
at the large white flakes
falling from the thick gray
meeting the water, so I
really do feel like I’m
in a snowglobe
I am but a moment
now a snug memory
a blip in history
I will never return

Receiving Snow by Maria L. Berg 2021

If you’ve enjoyed the photographs I’ve been taking, I’ve added some to my RedBubble store and I’m excited about the new products. The abstract bokeh really lends itself to product design. So fun. While you’re looking, please click the hearts to like the images on the RedBubble site. It will help my work get attention. Thank you.

December Daily Prompts by Maria L. Berg 2021 Please leave your links in the comments. I hope you will join me.

Happy Reading and Writing!