The recent snow storms in New York evoked memories of my six years living and working out of the city that nevers sleeps. Until moving to New York snow had been something of a rarity. The nearest snow fields being a three hour drive from my coastal home near Melbourne. To experience snowfall measured in feet was beyond my experience.
The blizzard of 2006 delivered in excess of two feet of snow and my wonder and awe was off the scale. I felt compelled to write about the experience at that time and also took multiple photographs. Poets respond to the world around them. This incredible natural event was not to be denied. My response at that time employed a classic rhyming structure (AABB) with four line stanzas. I only occasionally write in that style these days.
I feel compelled to recover the poem and share it before it melts...
The city, wrapped in twilight's quiet glow,
Became a blur beneath the falling snow.
New York, so loud and restless just before,
Fell silent as the storm began to pour.
Two feet of white, cascading from the skies,
Blanketed streets, where chaos often lies.
It veiled the cracks, the grime, pavement scars,
And lights transformed to distant, muted stars.
The rumble of the trains, the cabs' harsh roar,
Swallowed by the storm and heard no more.
Footsteps, once fast, were now rendered slow
As the city’s famous rhythm surrendered to snow
Central Park, a wonderland of white
Branches bearing winter’s sudden bite
A dreamscape mask, muting all
So still beneath this massive fall
Children's laughter echoed through the park,
Their breath like smoke, their eyes now sparked
Sleds carved paths where pigeons once fed,
And snowflakes kissed each passerby instead.
Snow kept falling, cloaking all in peace,
Each flake a promise that city noise could cease
Its rush, its grind, its endless, frantic pace,
And for a while, there was stillness in its place.
For now, the city slept, its heartbeat slowed,
Wrapped in a blanket, nature had bestowed.
And in that hush, so rare, so complete,
New York was beautiful beneath our feet.
Alan j Wright
Yes, indeed, that poem IS New York in the snow!
ReplyDeleteThat's good to know, Susan, coming from someone who is on the ground. Indelible memories.
DeleteThis poem captures the scene of New York in snow. I’m glad I wasn’t there, but you made me feel like I was.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, I recall hearing how every inch of snow in the city costs in excess of one milion dollars to remove from the streets, so the cost is considerable. Having said that, I found the snow quite mesmerizing,coming as I did from a climate where snow is a rarity. I'm glad my poem felt inclusive of you.
DeleteNice! I'm glad you shared it before it melted. So many in New York (and many other places in the U.S.) can relate to your poem this year. I loved seeing your photos!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Denise. Glad you liked the photos. It has certainly been a winter of storms and abundant snowfall in the US. I recall how they used to measure snowfall in feet up in Buffalo, NY.
DeleteYou captured it all, Alan! Thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Liz. It is an unforgetable experience for an Aussie whose previous snow experiences were somewhat limited.
DeleteWow! You captured the scenes of a NY and Central Park that you know so well so beautifully and I especially love the "that hush, so rare" because it is a truth expressed with elegant conciseness. Also love how the past tense here has such gravity!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mona. I very much enjoyed the reliving of this unique experience and I'm pleased it came through in my words.
DeleteYou captured both the long ago and the present day blizzards beautifully in photos and rhymes!
ReplyDeleteThe present aroused and informed the memories of that blizzard of some twenty years ago. Thanks for your response, Mary Lee
DeleteBeautifully rendered, Alan!
ReplyDeleteThankks, Karen, Much appreciated.
DeleteThis is beautiful Alan. I hope you had a nice visit. There really is nothing like the hush that comes over a city or town when it snows. You capture the hustle bustle of the city transitioning to peacefulness very well. I rememeber on my last visit I began t understand why it is called the city that never sleeps.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cathy. My six years based in New York were incredible. Professionally enriching and socially enlightening. A host of indelible memories and a feast for the writer within. Your remarks hearten me and serve to remind me of the significance this time in my life had on me and my family.
DeleteAlan, As others have said you caputure NY snow perfectly. Having grown up in Western NY - 400+ miles from the city that never sleeps, I am no stranger to snow, and lots of it. It is lovely when it's fresh and everything is covered in white and city life stops, leaving time to play or admire its beauty. Thanks! (I just bought a copy of your new Notebook Notions!) I'm sure your words will continue to inspire me.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your affirming response, Carol. I agree about the beauty of the city quiet and stilled by snow, It is a wonder to behold. Thank you also for your leap of faith regarding your purchase of my new book. I appreciate this immensely. I hope you find it sings to you as you read.
DeleteThanks for sharing your images in words and pictures of New York in the snow. Alan. Both so beautiful. I almost wish your poem could be set to music.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rose. Ironically my publishing origins began more than thirty years ago with writing song lyrics for school musicals.
DeleteSnow-magic...veiling cracks, blanketing the world in peace. Yes please.
ReplyDeleteI get it, Patricia. I'm very much with you on this peace train.
DeleteAlan, your pictures and description of the 2006 blizzard are beauty in the making from the hustle and bustle of NYC to "A dreamscape mask, muting all/So still beneath this massive fall."
ReplyDeleteI remember that day. I was invited to a Scholastic Conference. My husband traveled with me from Long Island to the city. All was as usual upon arrival, the noise, the rush of people, and the magnificent, towering buildings. The next day, we awoke to mounds of snow, and a stillness that I had never seen. Your last stanza brings to light powerful, almost surreal imagery of the blizzard's aftermath. Your words were poetically penned in white. Thank you for reminding me of this event in my life.
Wow, Carol, we shared a storm all those years ago. A storm that can never be forgotten. I'm glad to have facilitated your memory of that occasion through my poem. The city certainly underwent a dramatic transformation. It was for me, the most snow I had ever experienced. Thank you for your kind remarks.
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