in the quivering forest

in the quivering forest

I went to the window because the sky was bright - glowing the same unnatural gold that surrounds the downtown lights in the distance. Snow. Only an inch or two, just enough to cover everything with a quiet white. 

My sister and I put on our boots and walked outside. Clutching my camera, I watched the snowflakes falling. Four words from a Fleet Foxes song came to me : in the quivering forest. A line that I'd heard a thousand times. One that had always been beautiful - but for the first time sounded true.  

By morning nearly all of it had melted to slush. Not a trace was left downtown. But the next time I heard Blue Ridge Mountains I didn't hear those words. I saw branches shaking silently with the weight of snow. 

(photo) on film with the new Nikon FM (more of our snowy night) from Cara | from Julianna Swaney 

6 comments:

  1. Beautiful words and beautiful photo. I wish that darn snow would've stayed around just a little longer. I liked the hype of it all.

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    1. me too, Kate! It's always such a let down to get your hopes up for a snow day and instead find slush. (but I wont complain about the sunshine, nope not one bit)

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  2. Ooh, now the song is stuck in my head! The snow, however much it may be, is absolutely beautiful.

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  3. oh my gosh, I love this post. You are such an awesome writer! I could feel exactly what you were feeling when you went to the window ~

    don't you wish though that beauty would stick around for a little longer...at least so you could maybe hear a different song in the daylight.

    thanks for always bringing a little peace to my world ~
    Sarah

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    1. Thank You, Sarah! "Peaceful" - that's exactly the right word for snow. It makes it obvious how this season inspires songs like "silent night"

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  4. I love snow and I love the way you write about it here, the silence and the weight of it. Nice work.

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