Dark and Damp and Dreary

Dark and damp and dreary

The cloud-cast sky in gray

Signs of winter nearing

The leaves from branches stray

This shortest of all days

Has quietly arrived

And heavy snow now hangs

In silence as it lies.

O’er the ridge crest clearing

In the misty morning air

A figure soon appears

Caught walking in the rain

Sparks of fire light his way

You can see in his eyes

He has come a far way

In silence as it lies.

He casts away the fears

Cradled cold in the pain

And as his shape draws near

He shakes his crooked cane

To brush the snow away

From souls left far behind

Still buried in this place

In silence as it lies.

He knew we lost our way

And somehow wandered blind

But he has come to stay

In silence as it lies.

A simple chansom from the perspective of sheep who have lost their way in the snow. When they see that the shepherd has come for them, their fears are silenced, and the pain of the cold passes.

Thank you for taking the time to read!

Copyright © 2021, Robert G. Metivier. All Rights Reserved. Originally published on Medium on 12.21.2021

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[Form of the Chansom: The rhyme scheme is usually ababbcbC ababbcbC ababbcbC bcbC, where the capital “C” is a refrain. Consistent meter and rhyme scheme followed by a four line concluding stanza]