tracks in the snow
On Tuesday I went for a walk in the grey woods. Snow fell just before Christmas, so my walk turned into a quest to see who else had been walking (or running) in the woods.
I found many tracks, large and small. Mice had made their cylindrical tunnels, and occasionally had run across the surface. At some places, you can see where their tunnels suddenly go subterranean…
Sometimes several paths converge at a sheltered area beneath a fallen log, like a woodland bus terminal…
There were lots of squirrel tracks, often ending at the base of a tree where their paths move into the treetops…
Squirrel tracks crisscrossed with those of deer…
I followed the trail of two deer deep into the woods, thinking they were long gone since the tracks were filled with a slight dusting of snow…
This made me a little careless, and the next thing I heard was a high-pitched snort and squeal of warning and the bounding of hooves through the woods. I got a good look at two beautiful deer, but the camera was not ready. I did capture the very fresh track of one of the retreating deer.
~
~
tracks in the snow
~
ephemeral proof
I follow the beacon
of a stash of spruce cones
stock-piled at the base
of a crooked tree
careen from a foe
slip beneath a log
dive into a hole
secret hollow
a pause to still
thud thud of my heart
~
~
© Jane Tims 2011
nichepoetryandprose 
Visiting your blog is lovely as it often reminds me that there is a life out there in the mountains even if I can’t be in it -you conjour it up through a combination of words & images. And also because I think you draw beautifully & of course that interests me- I especially like this one. Happy New Year.
LikeLike
Sonya Chasey
January 6, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Hi Sonya. Thanks for the comment on my drawing. I like doing the drawings even more than the poems. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Jane
LikeLike
jane tims
January 7, 2012 at 8:17 am
This is all beautiful Jane and your drawing are gorgeous.
LikeLike
df barker
December 30, 2011 at 10:20 am
Hi. Thanks! I will have a closer read of your site with time. Happy New Year to you and Mike Malone! Jane
LikeLike
jane tims
December 30, 2011 at 5:19 pm
A novel anthropomorphic metaphor: “a woodland bus terminal.” It’s great that you know how to read the tracks as well as you do.
Steve Schwartzman
http://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com
LikeLike
Steve Schwartzman
December 30, 2011 at 9:22 am
Hi. Any skill I have is from paying attention to my husband who knows the woods very well. Jane
LikeLike
jane tims
December 30, 2011 at 10:06 am