I have a three-week break and will head home for a couple of weeks on Monday, so will be offline for a couple of days. It is a longer sabbath than normal, but it will be a long day on Monday. The wanderer is going from thought country and will find his way home as William Stafford suggested in this poem. We are each shepherded home in some fashion, at some time.
According to the silence, winter has arrived—
a special kind of winter. I, its inventor,
watch it freeze in calendars and stare
out of clocks. I do not feel its cold.
Across a certain farm evening crows go flying,
intervals of the sky that I have seen before,
the bearing of a river. I advance, a wanderer
out of thought country, that serious quiet place,
Till according to the silence all the light is gone
and according to the dark all wanderers are home.
About ivonprefontaine
In keeping with bell hooks and Noam Chomsky, I consider myself a public and dissident intellectual. Part of my work is to move beyond (transcend) institutional dogmas that bind me to defend freedom, raising my voice to be heard on behalf of those who seek equity and justice in all their forms.
I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. My dissertation and research was how teachers experience becoming teachers and their role as leaders.
I focus on leading, communicating, and innovating in organizations. This includes mindfuful servant-leadership, World Cafe events, Appreciative Inquiry, and expressing one's self through creativity. I offer retreats, workshops, and presentations that can be tailored to your organzations specific needs.
I published peer reviewed articles about schools as learning organizations, currere as an ethical pursuit, and hope as an essential element of adult eductaion. I published three poems and am currently preparing my poetry to publish as an anthology of poetry.
I present on mindful leadership, servant leadership, schools as learning organizations, how teachers experience becoming teachers, assessement, and critical thinking. I facilitate mindfulness, hospitality retreats. and World Cafe Events using Appreciative Inquiry.
I am writing and researching about various forms of leadership, how teachers inform and form their identity as a particular teacher, schools as learning organizations, hope, nonviolence and its anticipatory relationship with the future, as essential elements to teaching and learning.
Academic publications can be found at Ivon Gile Prefontaine on ResearchGate
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 
Have a blessed Sabbath.
I did. Thank you.
Very nice poem, I really liked it, thank you for posting it.
ted
You are welcome Ted. Thank you for dropping by. I stopped by your blog and enjoyed the poetry.
Thank you, that is kind of you. Hope that your week is going well for you.
ted
It has been.
“across a certain farm evening, crows go flying” I cannot tell you the feeling of “fresh” that evoked. I can see it, smell it, feel it. Its that moment that you seem to be able to just inhale God’s peace. Blessings and love!
Michelle
Thank you Michelle. I am glad you enjoyed the post. Take care.
and you 🙂
rest well
I did Paul. I am still resting and easing my way back into it slowly.
Safe journey~
Thank you.
Nice piece of writing thank you for posting it.
ted
Thank you Ted. You are welcome.
I wish you an insightful journey away from your blog.
I have enjoyed it. Thank you Alex.
hey thanks for visiting my blog.
Currently I’m raising funds for a possible travelogue and maybe you could help me out?
Mind reblogging the post of mine to reach more audience, or even dropping in a penny or two?
I would be extremely grateful.
P.S. Here’s the link http://www.gofundme.com/4yfowk
You’ve won an award! 🙂
http://madelinescribes.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/most-influential-blogger-award-2013/
Thank you Madeline. This is appreciated.
Nice composition.
Enjoy your time, repair 🙂
AnElephant is no expert on American poets and is not familiar with Mr Stafford’s work.
He thinks this is just wonderful, and will seek him out further.
Thank you.
I am glad to hear you enjoyed this poem and the Emily Dickinson re-blog. Take care and you are welcome.
Deep poem.
Thank you.
I never thought about it but winter is silent in many ways. The quietest member of winter would be a snowflake, I think. Thank you for sharing this at exactly the right time.