Poetry imagines an icy morning

By Barry Vitcov

Southern Oregon summers are warm, often hot, and never without the worry of smoke. It’s become routine to think about and prepare for fire with the hope that our community remains safe. Fortunately, Ashland is alive with theater, diverse arts, boutique shopping, excellent food, Lithia Park, and the enthusiasm of visitors and residents alike. Summer is also a time when we can lose ourselves in the fantasy of winter. Ruth Wire’s poem is an opportunity to imagine an early morning’s icy vision. Perhaps her diversion will help all of us to more deeply enjoy our four relatively mild seasons and one of the many reasons we find Southern Oregon to be a special place to live.

White and Silver

By Ruth Wire

At four thirty in the morning
he said he could see
daylight through the window,
but it was only a snow cape
on the rusty wheel barrow’s hunched back.

The ancient aluminum shed,
had been transformed into a white castle
by softly falling flakes.

An alabaster-colored duvet,
twinkling with tiny stars,
lay down over the crabgrass.

Trees decorated with
unglazed porcelain ornaments
became powdered with snow dust.

In a rough gray wooden tub
an ice-skating rink
covered the pond
clear enough to see
the gold fish swimming below

I wish I’d been awake
to see daylight
frosting the dark world.

Ruth Wire has had an uncontrollable writing addiction since she was 11. She is a published poet, published novelist, and a credited screenwriter. She has written fourteen screenplays. She is a published short story writer, produced dramatist, lyricist, and co-ran two theaters in Ashland in the 1980s. She has won awards for stage and screenplays and wrote the book and lyrics for a musical. She runs The HayWire Writers Workshop. “HayWire,” the anthology was published in 2005. She is a retired registered nurse and grandmother. Her play, “Spit in the Beer,” will be produced Off Broadway soon. Her fondest dream is to have her screenplay “Batty” produced.

Poetry Submissions Welcomed!

You are invited to submit original work to the Poetry Corner. There are only two restrictions: First, poems need to show a connection to Ashland and/or Southern Oregon. Your interpretation of that connection is fairly loose! Second, poems need to be aligned to the left margin. The publishing platform used by Ashland.news has issues with the creative use of space! There are no length restrictions but try to keep your poems to no more than 30 lines. Be sure to include the title of your poem, your name as you would like it to appear, the city or town in which you reside, and, if you wish, your preferred pronouns.

To submit poems, send to Barry Vitcov at haikubjv@gmail.com.

Dec. 16: Corrected submission email address.