– above post (on phone) or beside it (on desktop). –
A Google image search led to the images in this post; clicking on them will jump to the source credits at the end. The haiku in this post is my response to
Carpe Diem Universal Jane #8 gathering clouds
with special thanks to one of Jane’s haiku about winter:
© Jane Reichold
gathering clouds
heavy and dark with holding
unfallen flakes
Quiet Endurance
Cold. Pond iced over.
Silent snow on tomb-like mound.
Beavers wait it out.
However bleak and dark it may be, winter is unlike the bleak dark periods of history. Winter’s onset and duration are roughly predictable. Like beavers, those who prepare can often endure. Too bad history is not like that.
Sources
I wrote the haiku while commenting on a wintry post by Poet Rummager that I liked. The post did not mention snow or beavers, but inspiration is quirky. Tho I liked my haiku enough to post it all by itself, I decided to wait until I had found images that would clarify it for readers unfamiliar with the way beavers wait out winter in their lodges. Those who would like to see more detail can find it on a very readable webpage that was created for course requirements at Hamilton College.
The photo of the outside of a lodge in winter is from a well-illustrated post by Harlan Schwartz on the Canadian Canoe Routes website. The photo was shared on PhotoBucket and downloaded from there.
The drawing of the inside of a lodge in winter is from the book Why the Adirondacks Look the Way They Do by Mike Storey (Nature Knows Best Books, 2006). The drawing was reproduced in a very positive online review by Paul Grondahl and downloaded from there.
Mellow Curmudgeon 
The bleak dark periods of history are not entirely unpredictable, although we may not have quite as much in the way of warning as we do with the (for now) certainty of winter. And although we cannot possibly prepare for every eventuality, a little preparation goes a long way towards a more comfortable and manageable present as well as a better tomorrow.
I very much enjoyed your haiku and the photo of the beaver lodge. They are fascinating animals.
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We can learn a lot from beavers.
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Your poem fits well with Jane’s beautiful words.
I enjoyed your lovely “Quiet Endurance” haiku. I needed to read this with all the madness happening in America now. I shall try for a quiet endurance, but it’s doubtful I can remain quiet for too long. 🙂
Thank you for the shout out, Mel. xo
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So wonderful.
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