After the Storm
Monadnock’s mountaintop
wears a blanket of white,
while the river’s swift flow
conquers the cold.
Its dark water divides
a land now graced
with an ivory cloak.
Limbs coated with snow
bow low to the earth.
In the depths of winter,
from a series of storms,
the forest is transformed.
Lainie Senechal
Luca’s Gift
Outlook
In the exhilaration
of a fresh beginning
we wish for a New Year
that rises like a phoenix –
fiery, bright and strong.
The chasm of time
stretches wide before us,
too much distance to leap,
but each day builds
a slow bridge to the other side.
The ashes of the old year
are swept completely away.
Hopes and expectations
swirl in our thoughts
and mingle with anxiety
for what may lie ahead.
Lainie Senechal
Apple Blossom Amaryllis
New Year’s Beauty
Only the dregs of snow
remain in the deep woods.
Winter has slowed into
milder moments that
feel like spring.
The Contooocock flows
soundlessly against its
stiff, frozen banks.
The swift current is sleek
and dark like ebony silk.
Every New Year is unique –
each beginning brings
its own style of beauty.
Lainie Senechal
The Year of the Rabbit