On The Nearby Hill
They buried an old man today in the cemetery up on the hill. He was in his nineties, and from a distance it looked like about two dozen mourners attended the graveside services. I didn’t know the man, though his family name is prominent in these parts.
And now he has gone on from this life, away from those who knew and loved him, and someday he will pass into that place where unvisited memories go. He lived, and he mattered, and now he is gathered to his people.
This winter seems harsher than any of the threescore-plus ones I’ve known, and it has only begun. The land lies dormant and quiet, and my heart and mind are unquiet. This is nothing new. I think I will remain unsettled, at odds with my small world until I pass through the same doors as the ones through which the old man tucked into the dirt up on the nearby hill passed.
The older I grow, the more difficult it is for me to distract myself, whether with books or conversation or film or music. And the thing is, in my inability to distract myself, I find myself quite distracted. My mind becomes snagged by thorny branches crowding my path, and sometimes parts of it unravel like an old sweater, and I can never reknit these parts. I hold the twisted lengths of yarn in my hands and I do not know what to do with them.
I who once galloped in the yard on my imaginary horse now find myself afoot, and somewhat bent, and the wind no longer cools my brow, but rather chills my frame.
And winter has just begun.
~ S.K. Orr
4 Comments
James
“And hey, I can always put on more clothes!”
I can relate to this very easily.
Fortunately, (for me at least) I am one of those folks that can wear wool without so much as an itch. I have wool union suit and won’t hesitate to wear it if I’m going to be outside for more than an hour or so. Since retirement, those days have become fewer and fewer.
Best to you, and stay warm brother.
admin
Hey, I LOVE wool, James. I wanted to buy some Merino wool longjohns this year, but the Scot in me wouldn’t part with what they were asking, so I stick to regular thermals. I love wool clothes of all sorts. Had a lightweight wool shirt many years ago that was very comfortable in the summertime. I learned the hard way that the old woodsman saying “Cotton kills” is true. Wool is a far superior fabric for any kind of clothing. Including underwear. Perhaps the repugnant little nancyboy Prince Harry should have worn some in his earlier adventures. Might have saved him…oh, never mind.
James
Every winter I am reminded of back when I was a kid. When winter and the snow that came with it turned everything into a sort of dreamland.
Now; when I’m shoveling the walks and steps so I can get bags of pellets to feed the stove; not so much.
It would seem that dreamland has become a nightmare at times.
admin
Hoo, boy… I can relate to the dreamland-to-nightmare situation, James. I shake my head in wry amusement when I think back to how I used to brag about my tolerance for cold weather. “And hey, I can always put on more clothes!”
Not these days. Mind you, I still love the stark, monochrome beauty of winter. But its gales and flakes and frosts most assuredly do not like me.
Good to hear from you, brother.