By: Lily Swarn
‘It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam’, said John Burroughs of the winter sunshine. It is a welcome sight in the hills .The incandescense, sets ablaze, the shivering, trembling, white mantle that shrouds everything. Winter is special to me, as it hoards, all my memories, of langorous vacations, spent in the still gasp worthy, environs of Shimla. The tall wall of the Himalayas, in the backdrop, looks almost peeled of greenery, as it were. Stark and naked, revealing their bone structure, as the layers of vegetation, fall away, shamelessly. The evergreens, remain resplendent, proclaiming to the world that, not all things change! Thank God for them, for they allow one to keep the faith alive, through the sombre, lonesome, season. Some friends do last a lifetime like the rock solid cedars. They dont just drop away, like pestilence stricken multitudes!!
Perhaps winter was actually sent by the lord, to allow humans, to sit around the hearth and ruminate, while they hibernated. Not true for the modern world at all. The magical snow blowers and the terriffic heating systems in homes and cars, have done away with the drudgery. Its just a steaming mug of coffee, that completes the perfect thanksgiving picture. The cinnamony aroma of, brewing coffee, that has invaded the corridors of modern life, is invigorating and reassuring. There really is no need to drown in a vale of grief when the sun turns his haughty face away. Life is so much more, than the icy tentacles of a bullying winter. It is snowballs and apple cider; it is pumpkin lanterns and rosy cheeks; it is over clothed babies and turkey suppers; it is grandpas stories and granny’s knitting needles; it is, eggnog and the artistic branches of a barren tree, waiting to sprout its first leaf in spring. When trees hold summer’s secrets, deep within their hearts, the enigma of winter, intensifies like the smouldering in her eyes. Sagas untold are far more intriguing than the brash sun dresses of summer beaches !! happy winter fellows.
Perhaps winter was actually sent by the lord, to allow humans, to sit around the hearth and ruminate, while they hibernated. Not true for the modern world at all. The magical snow blowers and the terriffic heating systems in homes and cars, have done away with the drudgery. Its just a steaming mug of coffee, that completes the perfect thanksgiving picture. The cinnamony aroma of, brewing coffee, that has invaded the corridors of modern life, is invigorating and reassuring. There really is no need to drown in a vale of grief when the sun turns his haughty face away. Life is so much more, than the icy tentacles of a bullying winter. It is snowballs and apple cider; it is pumpkin lanterns and rosy cheeks; it is over clothed babies and turkey suppers; it is grandpas stories and granny’s knitting needles; it is, eggnog and the artistic branches of a barren tree, waiting to sprout its first leaf in spring. When trees hold summer’s secrets, deep within their hearts, the enigma of winter, intensifies like the smouldering in her eyes. Sagas untold are far more intriguing than the brash sun dresses of summer beaches !! happy winter fellows.
International Beat Poet Laureate India 2023 -2024 , Caesar Vallejo award for literary excellence by UHE, Lily Swarn, internationally acclaimed, multilingual poet, novelist, essayist, columnist, gold medalist, university colour holder, radio show host, Peace and Humanity ambassador .
She has over 70 international and national awards including Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi award and her poetry is translated into 21 languages۔
Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi has awarded her recently “The Best Book of the Year Award ( 2023) ” for her book of English Poetry, The Divine Dialect of Flowers۔ Lily Swarn can be reached at [email protected]
