.
A Winter Snow
a rhupunt
The white snow falls
in swirling walls
that so enthralls
as in my youth.
The wind is slight;
flakes from great height
a blissful sight—
whole life to sleuth.
Each crystal flake
a snowman make
down by the lake—
old thoughts that soothe.
Years long ago
the soft white snow
was without woe,
no speck of ruth.
The frozen snow,
the earth below,
leaves me aglow—
the simple truth.
.
.
Phil S. Rogers is a sixth generation Vermonter, age 72, now retired, and living in Texas. He served in the United States Air Force and had a career in real estate and banking. He previously published Everlasting Glory, a historical work that tells the story of each of the men from Vermont that was awarded the Congressional Medal Of Honor during the Civil War.
Enjoyed, Mr. Rogers. Also intrigued by a Vermonter’s
moving to Texas. I did wonder if you meant “ruth” or
perhaps rues in line 16 – either a computer glitch or my
ignorance. Oops, just noticed something in the line above
that. “Were” is probably referring to the years in the same
stanza but to me as written, it seems to modify the snow.
Maybe parentheses in the snow line would clarify (at least
for me).
The old word “ruth” means “pity” ( compare our adjective “ruthless”), so the line “No speck of ruth” seems to suggest that the snow was indifferent to pain (“without woe”) and also pitiless. But there is a verbal agreement problem in that fourth quatrain, and the meaning is unclear.
Thank you for the lesson learned, Mr. Salemi.