In Winter
snowflake galaxies whirl above the
frozen pond
white sparks stream from my old coal
shovel
standing straight up against the wind
I see light everywhere
photon embers of the big bang
fill the sky to the edge of the sun
from another universe
a dark form
a deer on the ridge
looks into my eyes
we share a breath of air
in that cool moment
we know what it is
to be alive
bowing our heads
we bend forward
into the drift
*
Cold spirits
If spirits roam
In small spaces
Between slow burning suns
And the inexorable slide of gravity
They see our bodies
living breathing steam
Freezing white in solid air
As if our souls hung there
Getting gasoline
Out cold in orange-yellow bays
Great bright stalls, greasy ice
Where we stand
Shocked by the knowledge
Of our predicament
Driven to wander
Risking everything
Going home
*
brain freeze
Words are frozen mind crystals.
Sentences are chunks of ice.
Once they are formed
That part of the brain stops thinking
And just repeats the words
Over and over.
We end up with titanic icebergs
In our heads.
*
*Text and Image by Tullio DeSantis:Image: “Winter” – Tullio – 2012
Tullio DeSantis 
I like the idea that we have gigantic icebergs in our heads. What a chore to melt them!
They’re pretty much what we call ourselves, I think, Susan – the structure of all previous mental states…
If we find a way to melt the icebergs in our heads, and the water left behinds forms a new frozen mass….do we repeat the same sentences or have they changed?
Good question. I think it’s an endlessly repeating process…
i really enjoyed this poem! so beautiful, and intriguing. I liked the words you chose to describe this event. I can literally picture snowflake galaxies above my head. This may be an inspiration for a new painting! 🙂
Once again every season changes one’s emotion and this was also well written for winter. The “brain freeze”, the “cold spirit”, and the “frozen pond” were great ways to express what we feel during the winter. I found the titanic icebergs very interesting because I feel thats how my mind gets when ever I sit and think. I over think a lot of the time and it keeps growing and freezing over likes if it’s becoming a “titanic iceberg.” This also happens while drawing as well, and when my picture is finally done it melts away. When one thinks of winter one feels cold, and dark and its not as welcoming as the warmth but yet can be beautiful as well. I gues the connection between what we feel during winter and what we feel during difficult times like drawing a picture, for me, or writing an essay is very simiplar.
This poem, as many have previously said in earlier comments, gives justice to the feel that resonates from winter. The way you portrayed a human and an animal(a deer in particular) sharing a breath and appreciating life for a moment during the harsh reality that is the season of winter, for both species, was quite riveting as well as gripping. As described in the poem, with the appreciation for life came the reality of death being a couple missed meals and a few to many hours of exposure to the inclement climate with the thought of “titanic icebergs”. I very much enjoyed this poem and will recommend it to some of my intellectual peers. Thanks for sharing it!
This image conjures a feeling of looking at a full moon on a clear night. The contrast of the edges against the black background fades as though it is illuminating the roundness of the moon. The dotted pattern let the light show through to enhance the brightness and gives dimension and textures letting the eyes think they are seeing tiny patterns created throughout the piece. I imagine those as craters on the moon.
Looking at this image triggers so many feelings and emotions. One of the feelings it triggers is I feel as if I am looking up into the sky on a dark and cold winter night where nothing but the moon is shining and that is the only thing in sight. Looking at this full moon makes me think of many different things about life and makes me feel so comfortable staring at this moon all my worries seem to wash away because of how at peace I feel. The images that are drawn within this circle remind of the different textures there are on the moon.