Winterisation
by Jean Bleakney
‘Winterisation’ subtly weaves the processes of preparing for winter and steeling oneself for news of bereavement.
‘Winterisation’ subtly weaves the processes of preparing for winter and steeling oneself for news of bereavement.
‘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.
‘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.
‘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.
‘Somebody’s Mother’ by Mary Dow Brine is a heartbreaking and heartwarming poem about caring for strangers.
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.
‘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.
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 describes how in winter beauty doesn’t die, rather, it moves from nature to the listener’s body.
‘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 tells a tale of two parting lovers who meet in the woods on a dark and misty winter day.
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 begins with an apple-picker’s thoughts after a day of work. The poem goes on to explore themes of life and death.
‘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 is a beautiful short poem about a childhood experience. The speaker describes waiting for and watching chestnuts fall.
‘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’ is one of the most famous, admired, and thoughtful Robert Frost poems. The poem profoundly describes something simple, an ordinary incident, in elevated terms.
‘Bleak Weather’ by Ella Wheeler Wilcox describes the coming of winter and how the newly “bleak” days might impact a relationship.
‘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 is a poem about lost love and change. The poet depicts her internal changes through images of the changing seasons.
‘Desert Places’ by Robert Frost is a dark poem that uses a snowstorm to depict universal human loneliness and the inevitable return of depression.
‘Discovery’ by Florence Ripley Mastin describes a walk through the woods during which a speaker experiences an important change.
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 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.
Journey of the Magi’ by T.S. Eliot describes the terrible conditions through which the Magi traversed to meet the Christ child.
‘London Snow’ by Robert Bridges describes an early morning snowfall in London and the reactions of those who walk within it.