Wednesday, January 27, 2010


THE DAILY LIGHT


Had a big frost last night, to let us know in the clear blue morning that there's a genuine winter around here somewhere, so what a show there was at sunrise. Not long after the golden messenger got high enough to broadcast the early edition of the Daily Light, every leaf and needle of every evergreen exposed to that warm announcement, every papery leaf of the drooping bamboo was painted with light that danced in the barest morning breeze. From the tip of every leaf hung dewdrop ornaments of all the colors, the sunsides of whole mountains of trees shining as if dipped in a rainbow. Through the trees against the horizon you could see tiny glimmers of violet, gold, silver, green gathering at the leaf tips, sparkling on a breeze too light for skin to feel, flashing through all the rainbow colors as they grew and wavered in the moving air, swelling and swelling until it came their turn to drop a quicksilver bead splashing rainbows through other leaves and to the ground, where the white of the frost still waited down in the shade for the touch of day.

What a show. Fortunately I had a ticket.

9 comments:

Marianne said...

Ummmmmm....do you own a camera? I'm just asking. :-)

Robert Brady said...

Yes, but cameras can't capture metaphors...

Tabor said...

Often wondered about that --- you and the camera.

hanameizan said...

Have you read Marilynne Robinson? I was utterly captivated, transfixed, skewered no less, by her language when I came across her books recently, and wish I could emulate your similar style.

BTW, among all the candies you listed, I was surprised to see that Bazooka Bubble Gum (most certainly capitalized) had made it across the pond 4 decades ago. Did Mary have "Lovehearts" on offer?

Anonymous said...

Our sunrise was not quite as inspiring, it was more "Red sky at night, sailors delight, red sky in the morning sailors take warning."


We would have loved a penny candy store nearby. As it was, the extremely old lady down the road would give us ruhbarb with sugar in a bowl, and tell us stories while she sat on her porch with us. I had nearly forgotten about her.


Joni

Robert Brady said...

Marianne and Tabor, I'll rummage through the intimidating archive of photos I've taken for occasional (ca. 0.001%) use in PLM posts, and this weekend will start posting now-and-then cascades of random season photos of hereabouts taken over the past 15 years...

hanameizan, no I haven't read the author you mentioned; and yes, Mary had those hearts with the little love-y sayings printed on them (we called them candy hearts), but as I recall they were seasonal, out around Valentines day and then gone...

Joni, that elderlady sounds like another version of Mary; rhubarb and sugar in a bowl definitely has its own magic. Please tell us more about the lady, the scene and her tales in your blog...

Rakhi said...

Dear Sir!

I have been an avid literature reader and felt that no contemporary writer could ever leave me asking for more until i came across your blog!!

Must say that your writings provide with such literary fiesta that capitulates into a mentally stimulating tour every time i read them.

Thank you so much for writing the way you do.

Anonymous said...

Yuh, well ahhh, workin on the blog thing, not going well... supposed to be self-explanatory and well, its working, I've been muttering to myself for an hour now, and groaoning with this old house.


Joni

Robert Brady said...

Rakhi, thank you, you are too kind. I will do my best to honor your compliment.