Tuesday 4 September 2012

To Catch a Snowflake


Bathed by the moonlight and the sparkling distant stars,
where ancient lovers live, their aura seeping from afar.
As the first fall flows, diamond crystals coat the ground,
in their symphony of silence, a crashing nothingness of sound.

Fragile, frozen touches brush against reluctant minds,
the warmth in their beauty sending shivers down the spine.
Eager hands reach out, grasping harshly, closing tight,
the frenzied fury of their need, ending each one’s life.

For the briefest of moments their grace is sublime,
yet in an instant they are gone, like the passage of time.
To catch a falling snowflake ~ stop and wonder how,
with no past and no future, they exist in the now.

If the time should come, if your soul begins to calm,
you may look at your own snowflake ~  resting gently on your palm.

Copyright © 2012 by Mike Sutcliffe

14 comments:

  1. Let's hope we never lose that snowflake!

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  2. It's been far too long since I've read your work Mr. PoetryMan...this is fantastic! "for the briefest of moments, their grace is sublime"...LOVE that! Happy OpenLinkNight! :)

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  3. Hypnotizing and magical, well written my friend, well written

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  4. a crashing nothingness of sound...that is so the snow...a loud silence....love the bit on catching the snowflake in the now...and then your turn to it being your own, like your life...

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  5. did not see the end coming... you surprised us

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  6. Life is as individual and as fleeting, indeed.

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  7. Bringing life to the inanimate is a wonderful gift Mike... It's what every poet and wordsmith artist strives for... Your poem is quite reminiscent of something my favorite poet might have authored: Emily Dickinson was particularly adept at bringing those bits of nature from her tiny little world into the readers heart. I think your use of rhyme is perfect for this poem and your similes are perfect. I didn't even get through the first stanza before my thoughts roamed to a night many, many years ago in my memory. A houseful of kids and a strict father. My oldest sisters begged and pleaded our father to allow them to take us little ones out to see the first snowfall of the year. We were never, NEVER to be outside after dark... But he let us. As my sisters played and danced in the fallen snow I looked up to the moon, which was peaking behind a cloud, and in its light I could see the snowflakes, huge, fluffy snowflakes falling so gently. And I suddenly realized the quiet of its arrival. Even my sister's gleeful banter was somehow muffled by its eerie soundproofing quality. As I stood with snowflakes beginning to cover my face, my tongue out of coarse, I thought this might be the most quiet, calmest moment of my life. Even the waning volume of my sisters' giddiness didn't detract from that, as they skipped away down the driveway. For a moment it was as thought there was nothing but God, the heavens, the moon, the snowflakes, and me. And to this day I still think that was the most serene moment of my life. To me that is a symphony of silence, a crashing nothingness to the ground. And I thank you for that memory sir... This is a very good poem...

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  8. wonderfully lyrical! lovely!

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  9. There is such beauty and richness in your words, and the effect of comparing the transience of the snowflake with the transience of life is quite brilliant.

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  10. Beautifully written indeed!

    Anna :o]

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  11. What a lovely sonnet ~ gentle and calming to read ~ Thanks for sharing this ~

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  12. love this truly beautiful ...thank you so much x x

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  13. 'symphony of silence, a crashing nothingness of sound.' Nice imagery. Night on the bare mountain, perhaps, but possibly something calmer

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  14. The snowflake cannot be caught, for in doing so, it is destroyed. A beautiful poem. You have a rare talent.

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