Farewell Creek In Dead Of Winter Poem by Deanna Samuels

Farewell Creek in dead of winter, meanders in the best way it may
Iced over along its banks as it gently gurgles with little spray
Pools of frozen water have formed into temporary islets
Narrowing the open passage for the continuing flow of stream jets
Ever changing formations from day to day, hour to hour
As temperatures rise and fall, balancing between colder and warmer
Along its route, flowing besides wild woodlands, foot paths and mounds
Scrubland has been made more appealing under snow covered ground
The creek water moves more quickly, unimpeded under a low bridge
Continuing a few feet more, then falls speedily over the ridge
Sweeping by the ever- reforming frozen bankside inlets
Disappearing momentarily under a solid sheet of iced rivulet
Emerging into the narrowest of open cracks
Until reaching the next wider spaced out ice pack
Often the free flow is blocked by a dam or fallen tree
Somehow, the current swirls around for route to by-pass such debris
Farewell Creek runs its course of constant journey
Snaking through the almost never-ending winding valley
Sometimes in a furious hurry following heavy downfall
At other times a gentle trickle from weeks of little rainfall
Whatever time of year it is, gives pleasure and delight
To local townsfolk with its constant nature changing sight
But, in the dead of winter, the icy stream slowly, peacefully winds the creek
Having virtual solitude, Farewell Creek evokes an air of calm mystique


Written in Courtice, Ontario - 31st January 2021.