Wintery Poetry
Can You Write A Winter Poem?
I volunteer in the school where I teach. It is a great experience and I love seeing what the other grades are learning. This past couple of weeks the second graders were learning about poems that don't always rhyme. I was asked to help the second graders learn about writing Winter Poems.
I thought I would try my hand at a couple poems while I prepared for the lesson. The kids loved what I came up with, along with "The Pair", which is posted on my HubPages. I am also posting some of the student work - with the teacher's permission. Full names of the students will not be given to protect their identity.
We had some fun. I hope you like what we created. Please post your own Winter Poetry as a comment. We will all be interested in what you write.
Trees in Winter
The Black Oak Tree In My Back Yard
by A. Gagliardi
The black Oak tree in my back yard
knows that winter will be long and hard.
He loses leaves like old, used clothes
He stretches, and arches, and curls his toes.
His limbs devoid of warmth or color
reveal the nests of bird and squirrel.
He looks to the sky without much light
and shuts his eyes on the long dark night.
He pulls himself inward from the winter wind
and dreams of a spring that will begin.
The Trees Are Frosted
by A. Gagliardi
The trees are frosted, coated,
crowned with snow like top hats.
Majestic!
The wind whispers as they shed
snow like so much lingerie.
In the still of the night
they listen and sigh to each other.
They stretch and groan
crackling in the darkness;
mumbling their muted memories
like a doorman selling secrets to his cabbie.
At Night The Woodland Trail
By A. Gagliardi
At night the woodland trail is sacred.
All is silence in the still, crisp air.
At night the woodland smells of things unseen.
All is flavored with trees & roots & hare.
At night the woodland moon becomes illumination
All is shadowed in shades of blue and grey.
At night the woodland trail hides evidence of
All those who passed through or stay.
At night the woodland roots grow long
All is hid in shadows deep & strong.
What Do You Like About Winter?
What is your favorite activity during winter?
Mountain Pines
Here's another poem by Robinson Jeffers
In scornful upright loneliness they stand,
Counting themselves no kin of anything
Whether of earth or sky. T
heir gnarled roots cling
Like wasted fingers of a clutching hand
In the grim rock. A silent spectral band T
hey watch the old sky, but hold no communing
With aught. Only, when some lone eagle's wing
Flaps past above their grey and desolate land,
Or when the wind pants up a rough-hewn glen,
Bending them down as with an age of thought,
Or when, 'mid flying clouds that can not dull
Her constant light, the moon shines silver, then
They find a soul, and their dim moan is wrought
Into a singing sad and beautiful.
This poem is in the public domain.
About This Poem
Jeffers brought a great knowledge of literature, religion, philosophy, language, myth, and science to his poetry. One of his favorite themes was the intense, rugged beauty of the landscape set in opposition to the degraded and introverted condition of modern man. Strongly influenced by Nietzsche's concepts of individualism, Jeffers believed that human beings had developed a self-centered view of the world, and felt passionately that they should learn to have greater respect for the rest of creation.
Snow Fellows
Kid's stuff
Sadly, I have not yet received poems from the kids. When I get them, I will add. I look forward to seeing what the students create.
If you are interested in adding your winter poem to this hub, post it in the comments
