A Winter Journey by Virginia Hainsworth


Engine thrumming soothingly,
absorbing  the kilometres,
as each stretch of road
is replaced by another,
snowier than the last.
Winter tyres earning their keep.

The pine forest parts before us
as if to let us through,
drawing us further north.
North into the land of the Sami,
where the days shrink.
The temperature slides, as does the sun.

Barely a car passes,
barely a sound penetrates the air.
The hours pass us by
and are left behind.
And still the frigid road.

And then the magic.
Miniature flecks in the distance amplify
and evolve into elegant reindeer.
We stop, while these soft coated, horned magicians
silently cross our path, casting their spell.

Our drive continues.
But, somehow, the images
of those majestic Nordic heroes
condense our onward journey,
and leave us bewitched.



November 2017

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