Frozen without a Camera

You think I'd learn.

I hate being caught without a camera.

Being that I fancy myself a photographer, you think I'd learn to have a camera on me at all times. Things catch my eye at the most random instant. You really think I'd learn.

Friday morning was one of those instances. I kicked myself mentally for not having my trusty sidekick to help me capture a moment. I will try to paint the picture for you with words, as I also fancy myself a writer.

More than crisp air--
Bitter air that bites at my cheeks
Air that transports me back to a time
A time when I lived in the tundra (AKA Minneapolis)

I breathe deeply
Just to feel the rush of almost pain
as frozen air invades my warm lungs

The crackle on the ground
The creak of the ice covered door
I love bitter cold mornings.

My fingers numb before I even started the car
My ice scraper almost useless
The ice, finally here, stubborn against my touch

The windshield fogs up
My tires spin as I drive
Heat begins to seep into my insides
as the car comes to life
the ice melts away

I look around me
snow lines everything
frozen in time
nothing escaped the hands of the cold

the road descends into thick fog
I can't see anything
except for the fog, the faint taillights ahead
and the frozen silent trees, standing guard

Tumbleweeds stuck in the fence
mid flight, frozen with snow
Old barns, big trees, perfectly still
Barbed wire caught in ice
mailboxes closed up tight
Chain link fence, each link lined with sparking white
Mist and fog float slowly
Almost frozen in the air

Through the fog
I see a glowing ball
A perfect circle
the glow of sun
piercing through mist

The road rises sleepily from this frozen wonderland
the sun takes charge
the landscape changes
shadows are cast as the ice meets its demise

Tumbleweeds are freed
Trees can now sway
Warmth crawls slowly across wheat fields
Releasing captives from frozen clothing

To my right, the mountains loom
covered in snow
glistening white
perfectly clear
Frozen in time

The stillness was peaceful
Nothing was disturbed
What a beautiful morning
A winter wonderland
Frozen white landscape

And me without a camera.