I wrote the following poem for Tricia’s Monday Poetry Stretch—What Words?. The “stretch”—or challenge—is to write a poem that contains all of the following eight words: snow, frozen, wind, evening, woods, lake, village, farmhouse.I’m not sure my poem is finished. I don’t have a title for it yet. Maybe you’d like to suggest one for me???
UNTITLED
by Elaine Magliaro
A long way from the village,
near quiet woods,
snow settles on a frozen lake.
Burrowed in the mud below,
frogs dream the winter away.
Their larders full,
sleepy squirrels curl up
against the cold.
No wind stirs in the trees
this chill evening.
Everything is still.
In the distance,
a solitary farmhouse stands,
a weathered monument
to the past.
Here, in his lonely lair,
an old man
wraps himself in the silence
and his memories
and hibernates from the world.
Click here to find links to Poetry Stretch Results—What Words? at The Miss Rumphius Effect.
near quiet woods,
snow settles on a frozen lake.
Burrowed in the mud below,
frogs dream the winter away.
Their larders full,
sleepy squirrels curl up
against the cold.
No wind stirs in the trees
this chill evening.
Everything is still.
In the distance,
a solitary farmhouse stands,
a weathered monument
to the past.
Here, in his lonely lair,
an old man
wraps himself in the silence
and his memories
and hibernates from the world.
Click here to find links to Poetry Stretch Results—What Words? at The Miss Rumphius Effect.
The Poetry Friday Roundup is at AmoXicalli this week.
So beautiful! Now I'm ready to settle in for the winter. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat a peaceful image. I'd love to hibernate.
ReplyDeleteMy grading is finally finished and I too am ready to hibernate. But alas, too many Christmas preparations remain to be finished.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a lovely holiday.
That is really nice. I wrote down the words but never made the challenge. A poet I am not, I suppose, but I can appreciate good ones when I read them.
ReplyDeleteJules, 7-Imp
Lovely, Elaine. Quiet and peaceful with a bit of melancholy. Well done!
ReplyDeleteSo sad! I wrote a poem with some mixed emotion under the surface of all that nature and peaceful imagery too. Interesting how it moves us. I think Frost had some conflicts going on too out in the softly falling snow, don't you?
ReplyDeleteJama, Tadmack, Tricia, Jules, Kelly, Cloudscome--
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. It can be fun participating in a poetry stretch with other bloggers every now and then. It's always interesting to see how different our poems are.
Yes, there's a touch of melancholy in my poem. I rarely write poems like that.
I like the way your last line echoes your first: what a long, deep way from the village that man is.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays to you!
It does have a touch of melancholy and is perfectly lovely and wistful. Happy holidays!
ReplyDeleteMy wish for that old man is a cat for his lap, to warm him, and to absentmindedly stroke as he wanders through his memories.
ReplyDeleteSara and Gina,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments--and Happy Holidays!!!
Mary Lee,
I couldn't agree with you more. I recently had to put one of my two cats to sleep. She was the sweetest little kitty--and often cuddled at my side. Fortunately, I have another cat who likes to be near me. I have found my cats to be a comfort when I'm sad--and good company when my husband's away from home.