Winter blue

The stars seem close tonight

Closer than my neighbors

Closer than the town

Five miles down the road.

Snowshoeing at night

In winter woods

The way lit by moonlight.

Down to the beaver flow

Down to the gurgle where black water

Forces its way up through clear ice.

To listen for a few minutes

To the winter woods

There is nothing much to hear.

Maybe I go so that

When I return to cabin and woodstove

I appreciate them more.

It is so still out here

So still, so quiet, so white, so blue.

Roderick W. MacIver, Heron Dance

[Note from MacIver about the painting above--"When I started Northern Goshawk Looking, I planned to do a semi-abstract painting much in the style of Coastal Cougar, but with a blue background. As I painted, I got more and more into a realistic representation, inspired by the Goshawk’s interesting facial patterns and powerful gaze.]

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