Advent
by Gillian Clarke
Gillian Clarke’s free-verse poem ‘Advent’ depicts a lifeless winter landscape where everything is frozen to a state that instills despair and hopelessness in the speaker’s heart.
February
by Gillian Clarke
‘February’ depicts a stunning and figurative encounter with Clarke’s familiar Welsh landscape on a snowy February day.
Hitcher
by Simon Armitage
‘Hitcher’ by Simon Armitage describes a brutal act of violence against a “free” hitchhiker committed by a speaker who is “under / the weather.”
It sifts from Leaden Sieves
by Emily Dickinson
‘It sifts from Leaden Sieves’ by Emily Dickinson is a beautiful nature poem. The poet explores the way that a fresh snowfall can reframe the whole world.
Something Told the Wild Geese
by Rachel Field
‘Something Told the Wild Geese’ by Rachel Field discusses geese, and other animals, reactions to signs of winter. The poem takes place in summer and warns against being unprepared and dwelling on unhappiness.
The Mountain And The Squirrel
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
‘The Mountain and the Squirrel’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson speaks on the strengths and weaknesses of two quarrelling characters who are very different.
Tree At My Window
by Robert Frost
‘Tree At My Window’ by Robert Frost celebrates the speaker’s love for nature. He focuses in on one specific tree outside his window that’s meant a lot to him.