Poem: A Moment of Warmth

A Moment of Warmth

You cross the ridge to the farmhouse,
it's faded whitewash bright in the late afternoon sun.
You walk past the garden, dry and dead as November,
and stand at the fence,
where one thorny tendril drapes
and reaches sunward.

It has been a long journey,
rocky and cold, un mapped,
so uncertain that even now,
you are not certain that you have arrived

to your destination, or
if this is simply another way station.
but here, in the abandoned house,
there is protection from the night,
and a fireplace to warm your weary bones,
and in this moment,

an autumn sun brings color
to the world around you.

It is enough, this moment of warmth,
enough to remind you
that though there is no one here,
you are not alone.

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The picture was taken at the Johnson Farm, in Bedford County, Virginia, near the Peaks of Otter. When I took it, I remember saying to myself "Some day I will write a poem about this picture". It's been a year and the poem finally arrived. You can click on it for a larger version.

Tom