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“Flurries of Winter” and the Poetry Friday Roundup

Flurries of Winter

I stop somewhere waiting for you
And soon you swoosh by
In a spray of snow. Possibly under control,
Probably not. Bearing straight for the lift line,
Already too far away to hear, “Turn,
Use your edges!” Arms wide, skis parallel,
Unzipped jacket blowing back like 
The trailing edges of wings,
How fast that little body hurls down the mountain,
And how beautiful the last-minute swerve. 

Draft, Susan Thomsen, 2026
(The first line is the last line of Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself.")

*****

Welcome to Poetry Friday! The roundup is here. “Flurries of Winter” was inspired by a prompt from David Lehman. It’s so fun to see that others have joined me in “stopping somewhere,” too; please see Mr. Linky for the connections.

Thank you so much for visiting. Please drop a link while I heat up the hors d’oeuvres in the kitchen. Welcome to all, including newcomers!

Image from Wikimedia Commons. Snow King Mountain Winter Ski Trails. Mclaurin10. Used with a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

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23 responses to ““Flurries of Winter” and the Poetry Friday Roundup”

  1. Poetry Friday: The Embroidery – A(nother) Year of Reading

    […] the ones you’re sharing in the Poetry Friday roundup, which is hosted this week by Susan at Chicken Spaghetti and as I type this I realize that I have not written to her challenge. Yikes! Since I’m […]

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  2. maryleehahn Avatar
    maryleehahn

    Susan, your “Flurries of Winter” is all kinds of perfect! I’m right there with the speaker, holding my breath for that “last-minute swerve.”

    Thanks for hosting us and for the challenge!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Thanks, Mary Lee! I am so happy to be hosting and focusing my attention on something fun and sustaining this week.

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  3. Karen Edmisten Avatar
    Karen Edmisten

    Susan, I love your poem so much! I just described it, in my post, as being full of joy and verve and love and snow. I feel that spray of snow! I feel the love! 😀

    I got an original one written this morning, thanks to your prompt. Yay! And thanks for hosting!

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. Poetry Friday–Beginning with a line from Walt Whitman | Michelle Kogan Illustration, Painting, & Writing Avatar
    Poetry Friday–Beginning with a line from Walt Whitman | Michelle Kogan Illustration, Painting, & Writing

    […] on over to talented poet and writer, Susan Thomsen’s blog, Chicken Spaghetti, where she is also hosting this week’s Poetry Friday Roundup, thanks […]

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. Hurrah for the numberless unknown heroes – The Opposite of Indifference Avatar
    Hurrah for the numberless unknown heroes – The Opposite of Indifference

    […] Chicken Spaghetti has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Susan! […]

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing Avatar
    Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing

    Beautiful poem Susan, I can feel the rush of air as you swerve by, and glad you made it safely too! Thanks for hosting and the poem prompt!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      You’re so welcome, Michelle, and thank you for the kind words. I am LOVING seeing what folks came up with and the other poems, too.

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  7. jama Avatar
    jama

    What a moment, described perfectly!! Thanks for that bit of exhilaration with swirling snow, and thanks for hosting this week.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      My pleasure, Jama!

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  8. Denise Krebs Avatar
    Denise Krebs

    Susan, I sense the pride in the narrator of this little one skiing. Beautiful poem! Thank you for the invitation to join you and for hosting today. https://mrsdkrebs.edublogs.org/2026/02/19/poetry-friday-i-stop-somewhere-waiting-for-you/

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    1. Denise Krebs Avatar
      Denise Krebs

      Oops, sorry, I posted the link without thinking. I’ll add it to the roundup now.

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    2. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Thanks for joining in, Denise! I’m *almost* tempted to ski again, given all this snow we’ve had.

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  9. Poetry Friday: More student poetry (MY student, that is!) – Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme Avatar
    Poetry Friday: More student poetry (MY student, that is!) – Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme

    […] today’s complete Poetry Friday Roundup, head on over to Chicken Spaghetti where Susan Thomsen is hosting the festivities with a draft of an original poem celebrating […]

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  10. Matt Forrest Esenwine Avatar
    Matt Forrest Esenwine

    “…And how beautiful the last…” LINE. Really nicely done, Susan. Thanks for sharing, and hosting!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Thanks so much, Matt! And thanks for poetizing on this Poetry Friday.

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  11. Marcie Flinchum Atkins Avatar
    Marcie Flinchum Atkins

    Beautiful poem. I love “spray of snow.” Thank you for hosting!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Thanks, Marcie, and I’m so glad you’re here at the roundup.

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  12. Mitchell Linda Avatar
    Mitchell Linda

    All I can think is wheeeeeeeeeeee!
    I’m sure the “right” way to read this poem is of the poet watching a loved one, a child…but what if the poet were watching a memory of herself? That’s a neat (or, kooky Linda M. way) to read it too.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Linda, I like that interpretation! It could definitely work that way. Thank you for being part of the P.F. festivities this week.

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  13. heidimordhorst Avatar
    heidimordhorst

    Oh my, oh my….”Unzipped jacket blowing back like
    The trailing edges of wings,” and how beautiful that last line, the swerve.
    A snapshot of adoration.

    Liked by 1 person

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  14. lindabaie Avatar
    lindabaie

    In my past skiing world, I love what you’ve shown in your poem, Susan, that “possibly under control” made me nod vigorously. sometimes scary moments! I’ll share this with a granddaughter who skis on a team, often describing near misses. Thanks for the prompt & hosting, Susan, lots of fun, & can’t wait to read what others have written!

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  15. cvarsalona Avatar
    cvarsalona

    Susan, thank you for hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup and inviting everyone to write a poem with Walt Whitman’s last line of “Song of Myself” starting our poems. Your poem is right in line with the Winter Olympics. These lines bring back a memory of skiing, “And soon you swoosh by/In a spray of snow. Possibly under control,/Probably not.”

    Unfortunately decades ago ,I got the brunt of “Probably not” under control. A teen member of the ski safety patrol took a jump without a spotter and landed on me. He skied away without helping me and I ended up with a compound fracture of my left leg and had to stay in the hospital for 10 days.

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