Winter Self by Florence Ladd

“Winter Self” by Florence Ladd

Winter lies too long in country towns; stays on until it is stale and shabby, old and sullen,
Willa Cather in My Antonia

Have I, like winter in a country town, stayed on too long?
Growing old, have I grown stale and sullen? My attire
Is a matter of rapt attention, but am I seen as shabby?
Perhaps my over-told anecdotes gone stale. I could
Refresh those stories with more details, I suppose.
Not age, but the tenor of these times have turned me sullen,
Sombre and as gray as the overcast winter sky
My life has become spare, bare like winter’s trees.
In the winter of my years, days seem shorter
Then, as if after-solstice, days seem to lengthen
And brighten, One more spring is likely, and I, like winter,
With inward nurturing of seeds and bulbs underground,
May blossom again in the warmth of the season to come.

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Florence Ladd Artist Statement:

As a creative woman, I define my creative identity: in poetry & gardening.

As a creative woman, my deepest need is: For enough time to finish works in progress.