A soft but heavy silence falls

Solemn minutes mark sad hours as

We weave between the graves

Our footsteps like a thread that pulls

Catching at the edges of the yard

Pulling all the dead and those with life

With breath still in their weighty lungs

Together in the warmest of embraces.

I heard somebody talking about a time when they were feeling very reflective and suddenly it started to snow. The appearance of snow seemed to make the moment so much more pignant, and it reminded me of a very similar moment in my own life.

I was fifteen and we went to see Tyne Cot war cemetery with our school. It is one of the biggest war memorials in Europe and we all held our breath as our coach pulled up in front of all those white stones.

We were given a paper poppy to put on a grave of our choice and as I hopped off the bus, I pulled away from my friends to go and find a grave that I felt a draw to. As I was wandering through the graves, a few snowflakes began to fall, and it felt as if the mood just changed in an instant.

I will remember that moment until the day I die, and I don’t think it would have held the same weight if those flakes hadn’t fallen at that exact moment. Snow is magical and it can just sharpen a moment and make it all the more memorable.

Apparently it’s going to snow tomorrow, but I don’t think it will be quite as impressive as that day in Belgium.

Much Love

Rachel xx