Things to look forward to…
a hot shower
In my desert days, every drop from the tap was a miracle. To be able to turn on a faucet and have hot or cold water flow out was pure magic. And if we ever forgot to pay mind to the astonishing fact of flowing water in the desert, the next water bill would be sure to bring new focus. But now and again, we reveled in the pure decadence of a full ten minutes under warm, soothing water, washing all the day’s dust and stress down the drain and refreshing our muscles and minds.
I have carried that desert body amazement at running water into a humid climate. It is no longer quite so necessary to ration my time under the shower head, but long habit makes me do it all the same. It may be as wet outside as it is in the washroom, but I still cringe at wasting even one minute of flow. It is still a miracle.
Maybe everyone should pay desert water bills. There may be less poisoning and ruining our water supplies. There would certainly be less waste. But at a more basic level, valuing water for the essential element that it is simply brings more joy to every day.
Be grateful for that shower! Revel in it! Be amazed by this delicious daily delight!
A hot shower is truly something to look forward to!
january
the birch bows shyly
to the waxing grey light
day o’ertaking night
a white sheath
to wreath the budding year
yet soon eclipsed
while snow shrouds her limbs
winter withdrawing
as rowan steps forth
in the fullness of the two-faced god
with wolf grin and candle flame
waving red berried fingers
dancing in the waning cold
beckoning in whispers of warmth
and round bellied ewes
come out and play
under pale and pearly skies
hang your mantle on sunbeams
she screams in delight
for the old hag may yet reign
on jagged mountaintops
but catkins and petals
dog her days
and the sap softens
flowing into sunrise
in this nascent time
come and see
the snowdrop nodding
in the gauzy dawn
come and breathe in
the wakening of the wood
come out
and bow to the spring
Wednesday Word
for 17 January 2024
rowan
You can respond in the comments below or go visit the All Poetry contest for January. Your response can be anything made from words. I love poetry, but anything can be poetic and you needn’t even be limited to poetics. An observation, a story, a thought. Might even be an image — however, I am not a visual person, so it has to work harder to convey meaning. In the spirit of word prompts, it’s best if you use the word; but I’m not even a stickler about that. Especially if you can convey the meaning without ever touching the word.
If responding on All Poetry, you are limited to the forms of that medium, though my contests are fairly open as to form. However, if you have something long, post it in the comments below. That said, please don’t go too long. Keep it under 2000 words. I’m not going to count, but I’m also not promising to read a novel.
Unless it’s really good!
If you have nothing to say, that’s fine. I know you all are busy and distracted. But if you’ve read this far, then I’ve made you think about… rowan.
The Weather…
Did I just say I’d miss snow? Silly me for taunting fate and weather gods… It’s been snowing for 12 hours straight. It is also rather cold for this much precipitation, around 15°F. So the snow is light and fluffy and sometimes pretty. But it’s also about 20″ deep, and it’s underlain with ice. It took over 90 minutes to make my usual 30 minute drive home from work.
After that epic slog, I was not paying close attention to what I was doing when walking out of the garage. I forgot that there are ruts and mounds of ice under the snow. My foot found a mound and slid down into a rut, and I went down hard on my outer thigh. Hard enough to give me a bit of a wrenched neck and a mild headache for an hour or so. Though nothing appears broken, the bruise blooming on the side of my leg is about the diameter of a melon and feels like someone clobbered me with a baseball bat.
I am not looking forward to tomorrow, hot shower or otherwise…
©Elizabeth Anker 2024
By My Solitary Hearth 
Your sentiments about water ring true with me: we always had to husband our water when I was young, and drought (sometimes years long) hover around the edges of where I live now – never mind the fact that the local municipality fails to deliver domestic water for days on end. I never take water for granted. It is fun seeing the illustrations of Flower Fairies … now they enchant my youngest granddaughter.
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Don’t fall in the shower. That is one reason why I’m not spending any money on a new shower at my house. I don’t presently have a shower. My tap water comes from a lake polluted with coal ash. I rarely bathe either. I bend over the kitchen sink to wash what little hair I have left.
I will send my thoughts and prayers over your commutes.There are a high percentage of distracted and impair drivers out there. My new used truck is so beat-up that even a reprobate like myself is ashamed to be seen in it. I go out as little as possible.
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I lam so grateful for hot showers! I only take short ones during the week of 5 minutes or less, but allow myself to indulge for a few minutes longer on Saturday mornings after a hard workout. It’s heavenly.
I hope you are ok after your fall!
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