"Red Winter Berries in Snow" by D. Sharon Pruitt licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
Ellen White Rook is a poet and teacher of contemplative arts residing in upstate New York and southern Maine.
In the pre-COVID-19 world, she offered workshops on Japanese flower arranging and led Sit, Walk, Write retreats throughout the Northeast that merge meditation, movement, and writing. Since early in the pandemic, she has been leading a daily meditation session on Zoom. Each meditation begins with the reading of a poem, which she posts to Facebook and Instagram at www.facebook.com/ewrook and www.instagram.com/rookellen/.
Ellen is a member of the New York State Writers Institute Poetry Workshop and the Evergreen Poetry Workshop. Last summer, one of her poems, titled "Day 72," was published in the NYS Writers Institute's Trolley journal.
suspended
By Ellen White Rook
this is the time of year
when I’m a root-wrapped stone
dull under weeks-old snow
as more falls in slanted
lines that layer soft
orderly ashes
pale
a poor exchange
for light
(the empty sun
forgot to rise
and the morning cardinal
at the feeder was black
as a crow)
red
a memory of blood
green
requires transpiration
thaw
approaching death
or just the end
all shapes
still wanting
to be born again
into this life
(animal
vegetable
mineral)
sky frozen
under foot
stone wishing for sap
sap wishing
for heartwood
By Ellen White Rook © 2020 All rights reserved.
Special thanks to Gary Maggio for connecting us with Ellen on this poem.
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