in the shelter of the covered bridge – shelter?
‘shelter’
– n.
1. protection from danger, bad weather, etc.
2. place giving shelter or refuge.
-v.
1. act or serve as a shelter to; protect; conceal; defend.
2. find refuge, take cover.
(Oxford English Dictionary)
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As I refine the results of my poetry project, ‘in the shelter of the covered bridge’, I am thinking about the idea of ‘shelter’ and how important it is to all living things.
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A covered bridge changes the landscape, alters the environment and encourages habitat diversity. It changes the availability of light, water and air. It provides cover from harsh environments.
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Some examples of finding shelter in a covered bridge:
Plants:
- seeds on the wind, waylaid, find a place to germinate
- grasses growing beneath the bridge get less light as shadows thicken – sometimes there is too little light to grow at all
- a crack between boards in the floor of the bridge provides a space to grow away from competition from other plants
- mosses and lichens find a place to thrive in the rotted hollows of posts and timbers
Animals:
- birds use rafters and beams as nesting sites
- spiders find places to attach their webs
- mice store seeds in nooks and crannies
- birds hunt insects on the sun-warmed boards of the bridge
Humans:
- travellers find brief respite from wind and snow and rain
- friends and lovers find meeting places, out of the view of curious eyes
- visitors find surfaces for expression – graffiti, vulgarity, art, a space to say ‘I was here’
- children of all ages find a place to shout, hear echoes, remember
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shelter
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the engine dies – after midnight
not far from home
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snow builds on track
eyelash and mitten
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wind conceals the road
sweeps the bridge
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enter, a lull and chill subsides
bright of snow subdued
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no solitude – a mouse ticked
off, her hibernation interrupted
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and ghosts carve names, spray
broad epithets in purple
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inspire defiance, kick me
out, into the storm
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Copyright Jane Tims 2016
I love the way you consider so many aspects of a topic, always looking beyond the obvious!
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TextileRanger
January 22, 2016 at 12:49 pm
Hi! Thanks! I’ve had lots of time to think about this topic. Since last April I’ve visited 38 covered bridges! Jane
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jane tims
January 22, 2016 at 2:32 pm
So many different types of shelter. A beautiful post and poem.
I am thinking about the disasters world wide and how the shelter of people has been destroyed and they are left without shelter or food. I think how ill prepared modern men (me) are today to construct something from nature and find food by hunting etc. Although it might have been hard tens of thousands of years ago, the hunters and gatherers were better prepared than some of us today. We are so dependent on others.
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ladysighs
January 20, 2016 at 7:55 am
When I think about refugees, I know that all of us, in our comfortable homes, are only a mis-step away from the same. And shelter is right there behind air, water and food as an essential need.
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jane tims
January 20, 2016 at 9:48 am