The first floor of the hospital has large windows that look out onto a central courtyard. On some of the windows brightly coloured panels of blue, red and yellow feature a collection of poems, some written by previous residents, and others written by published poets. I often take my ambulatory patients down here for a longer walk. Most of them walk slowly, and I read the verses as we amble along.
I haven’t had the time to read all of them yet, but noticed this short verse written by a Canadian poet, Charles G. D. Roberts.
In spite of the persistent cold weather over the past three weeks, local streams with a fast current are still at least partially open. On a very cold day we walked through the fields and beside this stream at our local Pioneer Village. The tracks along the path were interesting…a rabbit, likely a very large hare, ducks, cross country skiers, and something unknown that dragged through the snow leaving a winding trail along the bank of the creek.
There is plenty of life here, even in the winter, but the creek does whisper the promise of spring to come.
It warms my heart that you recite those lovely words to your patients. February is our last challenge before the arrival of Spring. Thanks for this uplifting story.
ReplyDeleteMary' is right- February is a challenge for us waiting for spring. The brook poem is lovely- full of hope!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely thing to have all that poety greet you in that space. I am sure it brings smiles to the hearts of many.
ReplyDeleteMary- We usually have the winter challenge in March as well. We are lucky to have forsythia by mid-April and maple leaves by the first week of May.
ReplyDeleteLynne- You are further north than we are and will likely stay cold for longer than this month too!
Jayne- I feel very fortunate to work in such a nice setting.