#sparkchamber 122324 — the Angle of Repose

Though this time of year is often hectic and bustling, we can always count on nature to keep things on track: Saturday was the first day of astronomical winter, marked in the heavens by the winter solstice. In a post from 2020, #sparkchamber outlined everything you need to know about the solstice. This year, as a reminder to take a moment to breathe it all in, we offer an expression of how it feels.

The Angle of Repose by Peter Halstead

The night lies dormant on the snow.
Branches drift and doze.
Crystals glisten in the glow,
As if the constellations froze.

The slow wind eddies in the sweeps.
White hills slump and slough.
Mountains mushroom down the leaps,
Mounded foam and fluff.

The moon toboggans on the stoop,
Pillows on the stream.
Ice-packed needles glaze and droop
And night clouds steam.

The angles of the world repose;
The field when frosted isn’t steep.
The silver of the evening grows,
And the drifts of winter sleep.

1.] Where do ideas come from?

This is the solstice, the still point of the sun, its cusp and midnight, the year’s threshold and unlocking, where the past lets go of and becomes the future; the place of caught breath. — Margaret Atwood, poet + novelist

2.] What is the itch you are scratching?

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home. — Dame Edith Sitwell, poet

3.] Early bird or night owl? Tortoise or hare?

Snow falling soundlessly in the middle of the night will always fill my heart with sweet clarity. — Novala Takemoto, author + fashion designer

4.] How do you know when you are done?

Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one’s perseverance. — Yoko Ono, multimedia artist