Feet and faces tingle
In that frore land:
Legs wobble and go wingle,
You scarce can stand.
The skies are jewelled all around,
The ploughshare snaps in the iron ground,
The Finn with face like paper
And eyes like a lighted taper
Hurls his rough rune
At the wintry moon
And stamps to mark the tune.
I don't know, is this poem nonsense? However, I chose it because tonight I'm going to see an old friend who was in Finland with me, and because I well remember my legs wobbling and face tingling around this time of year!
It really was beautiful, though harsh. One of my favorite memories is riding my bike home from a night out with friends, at around 2 or 3 am. It would go like this (many nights like this): After riding the bus for about 40 minutes to my small town up north from the city, I got off at the little service station (in the middle of nowhere) and unlocked my bike. It's perfectly quiet. There is no one around, no cars, just snow and forest. No lights. It's probably around 10 below zero. I'm wearing longjohns, jeans, legwarmers, two pairs of socks, an undershirt, a sweater, a scarf, an ankle-length coat, two pairs of gloves (one thinner inside the thicker), an earwarmer and a hat. I have about a 2 mile bike ride ahead of me. I ride right down the middle of the highway; there aren't any cars at this time of night. I ride past the quiet, dark, snowy forests, and suddenly across the sky blooms an undulating curtain, lit like the Emerald City -- the Northern Lights. I stop, right in the middle of the highway, and watch for a few minutes, even though I'm freezing, even though it's 3 in the morning. I can't start riding again until I get my fill, until they start to fade.
Finland was an exercise in living day to day, experiencing every moment as it was, since we knew each moment would only come once. We only had a year. We had to live every single moment IN the moment. And we did, by and large. The year in Finland was rough, really rough. But it was also filled with extremely beautiful moments and deep, deep friendships.
I'd like to go back, but I can't decide: winter or summer? Winter is what I remember most, but summer is the best time to go. Also, I'd definitely want D'Arcy to come. It would not be the same without her.
So, tonight I see Darren, one of my close friends from that year. We'll remember Finland. It was almost 15 years ago. I almost can't believe that.
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3 comments:
I've always dreamt of seeing the Northern Lights. I bet they are breathtaking! Were you in Finland as an exchange student?
I was, in 1992-93! It was an amazing, difficult, crazy year, but I did get the see the Northern Lights a lot!
Somehow I can't picture Markku Annala hurling a rune at the winter moon...the poem doesn't quite capture Finnish men the way I remember them, but I'm with you on the Northern Lights, even if I can't remember the most spectacular display of them :)
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