When winter covers walks in layered snow,
there's still a track to show you where to go,
by following impressions in the snow,
on footprints that will wander to and fro.
That path may be a challenge for your feet.
You might engage another's booted feet,
that tracked a trail that people can repeat,
where you could even chance to take a seat.
Then oh, what winter wonders will be seen,
where white snow leaves a veil so crisp and clean.
Let's linger there to see what can be seen.
As shadows cast a spell in twilight glow,
the sparkles in the snow begin to glow,
like sprinkled dust the fairies might bestow.
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Author Notes
This was an un-shoveled path out on Harriet Island, in St. Paul, Minnesota, that follows the Mississippi River. Nonetheless, walkers were not deterred. I captured this image about an hour before sunset as the shadows were lengthening. The snow was sparkling. I tried to capture that here. Yes, I did sit there on a bench for a bit.
This poem is an Arabian Onegin Sonnet.
An Arabian Sonnet is simply one that is comprised of two Quatrains followed by two Tercets, where each stanza is mono-rhymed. Written in iambic pentameter.The Onegin aspect adds a touch of complexity to the rhyme scheme by repeating end rhymes (rather than refrain lines) in the following rhyme scheme: A,a,A,a - B,B,b,b - C,c,C - D,D,d. The Capital letters indicate the rhymes that are repeated. The trick here is to write the repeats so that they sound unique and the theme flows smoothly. not sure why it was named that or who named it, as it doesn't resemble the Pushkin Sonnet in any manner.
I am not particularly enamored with the format, as without the author notes, a reader could assume the poet is a sloppy rhymer.
This photograph was taken by the author himself on January 14, 2017.
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