Winterisation
by Jean Bleakney
‘Winterisation’ subtly weaves the processes of preparing for winter and steeling oneself for news of bereavement.
Halloween at the caravan.
All along the strand
sand is rearing up
like smoke from a bush fire.
Emmonsail’s Heath in Winter
by John Clare
‘Emmonsail’s Heath in Winter’ by John Clare is a beautiful nature poem that describes a specific area in Northamptonshire in winter. The poem focuses on plants and birds.
I love to see the old heath's withered brake
Mingle its crimpled leaves with furze and ling,
While the old heron from the lonely lake
Starts slow and flaps his melancholy wing,
In Cold Storm Light
by Leslie Marmon Silko
‘In Cold Storm Light’ by Leslie Marmon Silko is a beautifully written nature poem that focuses on a winter day. The poem uses multiple examples of imagery to describe the scene.
In cold storm light
I watch the sandrock
canyon rim.
Over the wintry
by Natsume Sōseki
‘Over the wintry’ by Natsume Sōseki is a short, evocative poem that captures the desolate beauty of a winter landscape. It’s written in the form of a haiku.
Over the wintry
forest, winds howl in rage
with no leaves to blow.
First winter rain
by Matsuo Bashō
‘First winter rain’ by Matsuo Basho speaks about the related experiences between humans and animals in the form of a haiku poem.
First winter rain—
even the monkey
seems to want a raincoat.
The First Snowfall
by James Russell Lowell
‘The First Snowfall’ by James Russell Lowe is a deeply sad poem about the death of a child and what it’s like to consider that loss as time passes.
The snow had begun in the gloaming,
And busily all the night
Had been heaping field and highway
With a silence deep and white.
Death in the Arctic
by Robert Service
Robert Service’s ‘Death in the Arctic’ tells a bleak, dark story in such an evocative way that even after the poem finishes, the reader can’t help but wonder for more.
I took the clock down from the shelf;
"At eight," said I, "I shoot myself."
It lacked a minute of the hour,
And as I waited all a-cower,
Somebody’s Mother
by Mary Dow Brine
‘Somebody’s Mother’ by Mary Dow Brine is a heartbreaking and heartwarming poem about caring for strangers.
The woman was old and ragged and gray
And bent with the chill of the Winter's day.
The street was wet with a recent snow
And the woman's feet were aged and slow.
1914
by Wilfred Owen
The best inspirations for poetry, or any art, really, as with the case of Owen’s ‘1914,’ come from anything that is real and important in the life of the writer.
War broke: and now the Winter of the world
With perishing great darkness closes in.
The foul tornado, centred at Berlin,
Is over all the width of Europe whirled,
A Dirge
by Christina Rossetti
‘A Dirge’ by Christina Rossetti is a thoughtful and moving poem about death. It speaks on the birth and death of an important person in the speaker’s life.
Why were you born when the snow was falling?
You should have come to the cuckoo’s calling,
Or when grapes are green in the cluster,
Or, at least, when lithe swallows muster
Explore more poems about Winter
A Frosty Night
by Robert Graves
Robert Graves presents a compelling duologue in his poetic ballad, ‘A Frosty Night.’ He uses simple ideas and complex language to create a meaningful poem.
A Song: Ask me no more where Jove bestows
by Thomas Carew
‘A Song: Ask me no more where Jove bestows’ by Thomas Carew describes how in winter beauty doesn’t die, rather, it moves from nature to the listener’s body.
A Visit from St. Nicholas
by Clement Clarke Moore
‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’ or ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas describes the encounter of a speaker with St. Nicholas on Christmas Eve.
A Winter’s Tale
by D.H. Lawrence
‘A Winter’s Tale’ by D.H. Lawrence tells a tale of two parting lovers who meet in the woods on a dark and misty winter day.
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.
After Apple-Picking
by Robert Frost
‘After Apple-Picking’ by Robert Frost begins with an apple-picker’s thoughts after a day of work. The poem goes on to explore themes of life and death.
My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree
Toward heaven still,
And there's a barrel that I didn't fill
Beside it, and there may be two or three
After the Winter
by Claude McKay
‘After the Winter’ by Claude McKay is a thoughtful and beautiful poem. Its speaker looks towards the future and considers the ideal life he’ll live with his partner.
Another Reluctance
by Annie Finch
‘Another Reluctance’ by Annie Finch is a beautiful short poem about a childhood experience. The speaker describes waiting for and watching chestnuts fall.
Aviation
by Alice Fulton
‘Aviation’ by Alice Fulton is a poem about a single speaker’s highly relatable feelings of isolation in her small town. She sees herself as separate and alienated from those around her.
Birches
by Robert Frost
‘Birches’ is one of the most famous, admired, and thoughtful Robert Frost poems. The poem profoundly describes something simple, an ordinary incident, in elevated terms.
When I see birches bend to left and right
Across the lines of straighter darker trees,
I like to think some boy’s been swinging them.
But swinging doesn’t bend them down to stay
Bleak Weather
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
‘Bleak Weather’ by Ella Wheeler Wilcox describes the coming of winter and how the newly “bleak” days might impact a relationship.
Blizzard
by William Carlos Williams
‘Blizzard’ by the American poet William Carlos Williams is filled with vivid imagery of a blinding snowstorm and its aftermath. This poem taps on the themes of time, human history, and personal experiences.
Change Upon Change by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
‘Change Upon Change’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a poem about lost love and change. The poet depicts her internal changes through images of the changing seasons.
Five months ago the stream did flow,
The lilies bloomed within the sedge,
And we were lingering to and fro,
Where none will track thee in this snow,
Desert Places
by Robert Frost
‘Desert Places’ by Robert Frost is a dark poem that uses a snowstorm to depict universal human loneliness and the inevitable return of depression.
Snow falling and night falling fast, oh, fast
In a field I looked into going past,
And the ground almost covered smooth in snow,
But a few weeds and stubble showing last.
Discovery
by Florence Ripley Mastin
‘Discovery’ by Florence Ripley Mastin describes a walk through the woods during which a speaker experiences an important change.
Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter
by Robert Bly
Robert Bly’s ‘Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter’ is about a speaker who meditates upon snowy nature while driving to a town to mail his letter. It is filled with rich imagery and striking symbolism.
Good Hours
by Robert Frost
‘Good Hours’ by Robert Frost is a powerful poem about isolation. Frost presents the reader with the image of a man who is at a physical and emotional distance from others.
I had for my winter evening walk—
No one at all with whom to talk,
But I had the cottages in a row
Up to their shining eyes in snow.
