Monday, February 23, 2015

A Collection of Winter Poems

I apologize for not posting before now! I had started another post about my transition to college life, but it was kind of rambling and without focus, so I didn't publish it. I will be going back to it and cleaning it up at some point.


A view of our snow-buried back porch
In the mean time, winter has set in! Here in Cleveland, we've been dumped with lots and lots of snow. As I write, the sun is shining in a clear blue sky on the thick, pure white snow. It's very beautiful to look at. But, not to go out in! Temperatures have been very low, in the single digits and even below zero. I am very thankful for our warm house, and heaters *warms feet as she writes*.

We get the full force of the seasons here, and often I like to write poems about each. I'd like to share with you my winter poems that I've written over the past few years.

Year's End
Summer heat fades and a chill invades
          As steadily the year creeps towards its end.
No more long light, but more of dark night.
          Green leaves and dead leaves blend.
Clouds the sky hide and cold, heavy rains provide
          While everyone hurries to warm home.
Birds' songs are few as they begin to
          Travel south, where every year they roam.
Leaves slowly drop, so from trunk to top
          Trees are skeletons, so bare.
Soon snow will fall, soon white will be all,
          Sounds soft and muffled everywhere.
Gone is the energy of spring - instead, this time brings
          Quiet, calm, and time to think
About another year, gone, the end so near.
          All time rushes by in a blink.
And so the year dies, and I breathe wistful sighs,
          Reflecting as dead night turns to new day.
Though one year is gone, coming with the dawn
          Is the new year's beautiful display.


Is It Truly Winter?
I.
Is it truly winter?
Yes, those are snowflakes I see.
I see them dance and flutter
Through the air around me.
They make a white blanket,
Draped softly over the ground.
All life's busy noises get
Muffled and softer in sound.
Evergreens are robed in white,
The green so rich and vivid
When all else is white in sight,
A beautiful sign of life amid
The other bare trees.
And though the days grow short,
Moon on snow makes it easy to see
Winter's signs of every sort.

II.
Has another year passed?
Spring has long faded,
Its flowers not made to last,
Its bright rainbow of colors traded
For summer's uniform green.
The summertime heat is gone,
Moved on to another scene,
And the long days are withdrawn.
Fall's leaves still linger,
Scattered all over the ground.
They no longer sport the color
Of harvest, but are a muddy brown.
Now it is winter, a year's
Cycle of seasons almost done.
The end of the year is here -
Here's wishing for another good one.

Quiet Winter
There is no quiet quite like winter.
In spring, the birds sing life and joy,
And all hear their song.
In fall, the winds play in the leaves,
And all hear that music.
In summer, a heavy, sluggish silence reigns,
And all feel the silence.
But in winter, no birds sing,
No winds play,
No silence oppresses.
In winter, a simple quiet exists,
But few sense its quiet.
A quiet made of snow and constant dusk,
Of fresh cold air and day long gone.
The world hurries by winter,
Few stop to look at it,
But those who do, find its quiet,
Soft, peaceful, simple quiet,
The quiet that is winter.

I hope you are enjoying your winter. God has infused such beauty into each season, and though winter can get tedious, we should always remember Psalm 118:24: "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

Again, I apologize for the long delay between posts! To those who commented on my first post: Thank you! I forgot to reply, and then time passed, and when I remembered, I thought it was too late to reply... I promise I wasn't ignoring you!

I appreciate comments, and I will reply this time! Do you know good poems about winter? I would love to hear about them. Though I write poetry, I don't read enough. Suggestions would be much appreciated!

Have a lovely day!