MN poetry: Susan Steven Chambers' "Weather Advisory"

Posted at 11:54 AM on March 7, 2011 by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Minnesota Poets, Poetry

Susan Stevens Chambers has had a family law practice for over 30 years, and now concentrates on mediation and poetry. She brings presentations to public schools and universities, churches, Kiwanis clubs, senior citizen, poetry groups, and anywhere else someone wants to hear poetry. Her poem "Weather Advisory" was a What Light Poetry Project finalist in May of last year.

Weather Advisory

It is an oatmeal sort of day.
Morning ice clings to bare branches,
trees groan under the thrust of north wind.

She dots the pan of water with raisins,
knows they will plump up her horizon,
encourage a watery sun to break
through her snowstorm,
heat the praying furrows.

She adds oats; not instant
but good old-fashioned ones
cooked soothingly for ten minutes,
filling the kitchen with steam and comfort.

She wishes to turn the day around.
She spins this last day of winter
into a hope of blackbirds,
those sparks of spring, always the first back.
They swirl up from a snow-smothered wood,
a plump black comfort
in the bowl of one last winter storm.

- "Weather Advisory" by Susan Stevens Chambers, as it appears on mnartists.org.