Ursa Major to the north, standing right up on his long, bear tail. He's been there all week, frozen in the sky, as we are all frozen beneath it. When will he move, I wonder.
Is he hibernating up there in the sky? If so he looks pretty uncomfortable.
And he had better watch out for Orion, who has been stomping around up there all winter, sword on high and temper roaring. Unless the hunter steps on a scorpion, that old bear may be in trouble.
Stars these nights are unrelenting, hard and sharp, like glowing stones in frozen water.I stop every night on the way in from work, just the same.How can you not stop to look at the sky? There should never be that much hurry.
These cold, harsh nights, the horizon is ringed, except to the west, by twisted false sunrises, the light from the surrounding towns and villages, reflecting up at yellow clouds.
It is as if the air is ill, sick with a head cold, and miserable enough for all of us. Brr, shiver, guess I'd better hurry inside, walk, and feed the little hound dog, and snuggle down for the night.
Morning will bring a crescent moon, with its little star in tow, innocent as a sweet new lamb, but colder....ever so much colder.....
OK. I just looked up at Keith and exclaimed OMG . . about your writing.
ReplyDeleteYour imagery and creative personal response to that awesome night dome over Northview . . is pure poetic magic. With a dark and chilly twist.
Wow.
What Cathy said. :)
ReplyDeleteLovely! Most people never notice the stars, but YOU sure do! Since I now live in a city, most stars are obliterated by ambient light, but Orion still stalks across my winter sky, when sub-zero air creates the sharpest focus.
ReplyDeleteStay warm my friend. :) And ditto what Kathy said.
ReplyDeleteStunning writing! Like you I love the sky...like you I see the frozen stars and wonder if they will start to shift...just a little so we can then begin to feel the earth truly shift.
ReplyDeleteLinda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Very nice!
ReplyDeleteI've been stepping out on the porch every night around 10 PM to wish Orion well and good night. With these cold, clear skies it's amazing what you see when you look up to the heavens.
I MISS seeing the night sky on the farm!
ReplyDeleteI can see the North Star as long as the sky is clear, and as the night wears on and the Big Dipper starts dumping all over the North Star - well, I can see that, too. Otherwise, not so much.
Cathy, coming from you that means a lot. Thanks
ReplyDeleteRev. Paul, and thank you too
Jacqueline, we live too close to a number of small towns to get the full effect, but I still enjoy the night sky. Turns out that my grandpa did too, and this post started a conversation with my favorite aunt about remembering him carrying her out at night when she was little and pointing out the constellations. Thought that was a cool thing to hear about.
Dani, thanks! You stay warm as well,. Sounds as if your region has taken a real beating this week.
Linda, thanks! Orion is my favorite constellation, except that the comes around in my least favorite season. You must see some phenomenal skies on your nighttime dog walks!
Joated, thanks! I stop every night on the way in, as well as morning and evening when I walk the dog. Wish I knew more about what I was seeing up there.
Jeffro, that must be very hard for someone used to the wide open spaces like you are. I lived in town for fifteen years when the kids were small and although I gardened a lot to make the best of it, I really hated it.