nichepoetryandprose

‘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