January Day

A reflection on the way we look at things and convey our feelings about them.

It would be easy to look out from my sitting room on a grey day in January and see everything as grey! But, as the artist can see, light changes and brings many different shades of colour. The sky is full of different layers of light and patterns. Trees and shrubs and grassy fields and gardens have so many different textures and layers. I suppose you could call this “ a tone poem”.

I wish I could paint. It’s such a gift 
To look at clouds - a tree - a hill
Then squeeze and mix those colour tubes 
And brush white paper with such skill 

Yet I can use the shape of words
To bring a little scene to life 
So, sitting here and looking out
I’m reaching for my palette knife

The clouds are dense and mostly grey
But light is breaking out above
The hill beyond, creating wisps 
That fly along like little doves 

The hill is green, but it’s not bright 
Dulled by the greyness of the sky
Outlines of trees and bushes dark 
Create a mournful winter sigh 

Patches of white that still remain
From many days of frost and snow
Streak highlights into sloping fields 
Down to the valley road below 

And in my mid view there are trees
Dark skeletons against the clouds 
A patch of light behind them shows
Thick trunk in dark green ivy shroud 

The foreground is my garden view
A brighter green of bush and lawn
The grey of winter lavender 
The brown and copper of the thorn 

If I could paint a picture now 
I’d reach for yellow, blue and grey 
And green and black and white and brown
To bring the colours of this day. 

And so I hope you see by words 
The picture of my outside scene 
A January day, in grey
Yet still the many shades of green…

January 2025

Dear friends, it’s been a while since I’ve published a poem or reflection on here. I do hope that your January in this New Year has begun well.

I’m not very fond of the winter months. I prefer light and warmth to darkness and cold. But I draw comfort from the fact that days are getting longer again.

I do pray that there will be a lot more true Light in 2025. And I bless each one of you and your families to have new revelations of God’s goodness in the days ahead.

With love, Kate