Winter came and froze my heart. I felt the crystals forming in my blood. I felt the block of ice that lodged in my chest. I felt the slowing of the tides in the Sea of Tranquillity. I considered the freezing point of mercury, the atoms and the science. I felt solid and free.
Everything stopped within me.
I drove around the north of England, skating on the surface of life. It was a blessed relief to feel so utterly chilled, though unnerving and disorientating. I was unaccustomed to this serene, precarious gliding after so many months of diving to anxious depths.
Then came the thaw. The glassy disruptor melted away, drip by drip, drop by drop. The world seems as it was before, but appearances can be deceptive. Nothing is the same after the weight and the wait. Ghosts leave footsteps, even when they can’t be seen.
I write in riddles, but my thoughts are no joke. This season’s black, bleak, furious onset yielded to a whiteness whose stillness and silence endures. The snow that fell like ashes is now gone, but the chill persists. All’s cool and calm as I collect my thoughts.
Cool. Very very cool. Crystalline.
It was good to see you at the Junction last week. Hope your Christmas is warm and happy.
I like riddles.
Lovely writing.
Hg, Bit chilly over in the UK. Great photograph. Where is it taken? Great writing too – thought provoking stuff.
On a different note: Bec’s cousin Joe plays bass in an Australian ‘punk’ band called Grinspoon. They are doing a short tour of the UK in Feb. They haven’t been to UK since 2003 and I don’t think they have any discs released there. They are releasing their latest disc over there to coincide with the tour. Thought that you might be able to get along to one of their London gigs if you’re able to. They’re playing at The Relentless London Garage (Highbury and Islington) on Friday 25th February. Check out their website for more details: http://www.grinspoon.com.au/
Hope you are well.
Cheers
Phill
Hg, How are you? What have you been up to? Did you manage to get over to see ‘the spoon’ on either last Friday or Saturday?
I saw a few photos on their website of gigs in Glasgow and elsewhere – looked good.
Hope you and Mrs Hg are well.
Cheers
Been rather under the weather recently with a persistent virus, so mostly all I’ve seen has been the laptop perched next to me on the bed!
Sorry to hear you’ve been unwell. Not a great time of year – your winter. Hope you are on the mend. How’re things apart from that?
Good thanks. Busy busy busy. Virus has finally fucked off. Took nearly four weeks, glad to see the back of it.
Natalie – thanks. And belatedly… you too. Happy New Year at this stage, I guess
Isabelle – thanks to you too. Yeah, guessing games… lovely.
Phill – the pic is taken in Sheffield, last day of November. The mostly obscured vehicle on the extreme right is the band’s tour van. We had to dig it out with plastic (paint) roller trays, not having a spade to hand! Grinspoon have a great website and quite a back catalogue. I’ll stick that date in my diary, though it’s too far in advance to make any firm plans. Hope you’re well too.
Having lived with real winter, this doesn’t seem like a riddle at all. I love that deep hard freeze that clears away all debris, all thought.
I imagine the proclivity of many to stay away from the out-of-doors winterness contributes nontrivially to such piercing clarity. I have my need of warmer months, but greatly value winter in my solitary mind.