An iambic perambulation to secure essential supplies in adverse conditions spurred by Pounding the Pentameter and based on true facts! (See weather screenshots below.)
A Winter Expedition
Upon a bitter weekend’s iron freeze,
We ventured forth where Broadway sidewalks run.
The need for apples, yoghurt, toothpaste, cheese
Compelled our steps beneath a leaden sun.
The wind, a blade, sliced keenly through my coat,
It carved its way through layers to the bone,
Each blast a lash that stung the face and throat,
And turned my lungs to heavy weights of stone.
The roadway gleamed a dusty, ghostly white,
A salty, gritty frost lay far and near.
Snow piled high in frozen mounds, left and right,
Like barricades the ploughs could never clear.
Yet through the wintry chill we pressed ahead,
West Side Market ahoy! We must be fed.
Featured image: Snow Storm, 5th Avenue. Childe Hassam. Detail
Love the poem!
Thanks June. It was fun to write. And now of course – mere ordinary cold winter temperatures feel balmy!
Oh my, that’s cold but a fabulous poem we always need cheese! Snow and rain are so atmospheric in paintings, I love the drops of red, footprints and umbrellas, thank you!!
Cheers Jane. And yes on the cheese and on the paintings. It’s quite a bit warmer today and it even felt balmy enough to sit on a park bench for a short while. Huge swathes of ice on the Hudson though.
very nice poeml Carol
Thanks Carol. Mock-heroics are always fun!
Well done, you! We’re freezing upstate too.
Cheers Laura.
Mere freezing will seem balmy after this.
Very visceral poem, Josie! I love the artwork, too. You always teach me something new. Show me something I haven’t seen before. Thank you!
That’s a great compliment David. Thank-you. I feel something similar when I read your posts. there’s always a different perspective or something fresh to see or read.
Oh, my. I love Childe Hassam’s paintings; I’m not so fond of what you’re experiencing weather-wise. At least you survived and were able to turn winter’s worst into verse!
I love Hassam too! This painting is rather misleading when it comes to today’s weather. The cold is fierce and the wind piercing but the sun is out and bright.
Jeepers, Josie! You have it colder than us. Only -11 here.
Great poem and I love the paintings.
Just made another (very short) foray to the Farmers’ Market that runs for two blocks north on Broadway at 114th Street. Those sellers are stalwart even though some stalls are tented with heaters. This is the kind of cold and wind that leaves your breathless.