…her true colours

Bare brittle branches
helplessly trembling
against a winter sky
tracing haunting shadows
with their bony fingers
as below, the tired woods
gently sigh in silver sleep
where they hold
both the hush of winter
and the hush of light

the pale winter sun
is hanging low
across a heavy morning sky
who, conflicted
is dressed
in soft shades of grey
and cool shimmering blue
cloaking herself
in the delicate clouds

yet the wind still reveals
her true colours
peeling back the layers
dragging them in tatters
across the face of the sun
where their shadowed hearts
are filled with gold and light
and they sprinkle themselves
like diamonds
across the skirts of morning

she spreads her cold
white fingers
slowly painting
soft shafts of gold
that dance on frozen stones
and desolate trees
sharing light
and an unexpected warmth
this frigid winter day
now brightened by apricity
her gentle touch caressing
all the living
and all the departed
that still linger here
© Ann Bagnall

What is ‘APRICITY’?

Apricity, is a rare English word that means the warmth of the sun in winter. It describes that specific, pleasant feeling of being warmed by the sun’s rays on a cold winter day. The word is derived from the Latin word “apricus,” meaning “warmed by the sun” or “exposed to sunlight”. While it’s not a commonly used word today, it’s been noted as a delightful and evocative term for a simple, yet cherished, sensation.