Snowshoes
Snowshoes were made to walk on the snow
when winter holds the land in it’s grip
They make it possible to walk on snow
I would sink into up to my hip
The frames were made from wood years ago
and the webbing was made from a hide
Now they’re made from all sorts of things
I wonder how they’ll hold up outside
The tracks of the animals show on snow
much better than on bare ground
With snowshoes on I can easily see
where they go as they make their rounds
This is a great way to travel in winter
when the land is all covered in white
I particularly like to be out on new snow
on a crisp clear moonlit night
The fields are bright and in the woods
I can see almost like day
The moonlight reflects off the snow
and pushes the shadows away
And everything is so peaceful
I’ll hardly hear a sound
unless it’s cold enough for the snow to squeak
when you put my snowshoes down
Sometimes I like to “boil a kettle”
but often I’ll just sit and listen
in a spot where I can see for a ways
and watch the moon light glisten
from Happenings Around home
volume three in a collection of poetry
by Lloyd Archer
74 Local Artists
WINTER 2010