Today's poet

[Hes]

Snowdrops and Crocus
The fragile snowdrops appear
Proclaiming the promise of Spring;
Just at the very sight of them
My heart begins to sing.

They seem so frail and delicate;
White bells on stalks of green;
A wonderful carpet of white,
Breaking through the Winter scene.

Next to appear are the crocus
Hues of yellow, purple and white,
A different coloured carpet,
Another wonderful sight.

Goodbye, goodbye to Winter,
That's the message the flowers convey,
Soon the sun will warm the earth,
Now that Spring is on the way.
(anon)

Thanks for the inspiring poem XRunner. It has got me in the mood for this drawing (which still isn't finished). Some really great choices tonight and I think Janary will be cold so we can have a big winter poetry celebration to cheer ourselves up and all those lovely snowy/frosty runs. My favourite.

[Hes]

The creak of snow
in my footsteps
- the cicada of winter

Maxence Fermine

[Harry H Howgill]

For HHH.

Winter Memories.

Shouting,Laughing, Snowball throws,
Three lumps of coal for buttons and a carrot nose.
Running up the big hill sledging oh so fast,
Those winter days of fun i hoped would always last.
Now i'm so much older such times are faraway,
I love to look back on those days as i watch my children play.

By Matt Harmston.

Cheers TM

[Harry H Howgill]

The creak of snow
in my footsteps
- the cicada of winter

Maxence Fermine

The creak of snow. One of my favourite sounds.

What a nice first thought for a sleepy morning

Have a productive day all.

[freckle]

Good morning all...

Hes I loved the use of cicada in that verse...lovely and the creaking of the snow...what a lovely line....

More on a wintry theme...

The sky is low the clouds are mean
Emily Dickinson

sky is low, the clouds are mean,
A travelling flake of snow
Across a barn or through a rut
Debates if it will go.

A narrow wind complains all day
How some one treated him;
Nature, like us, is sometimes caught
Without her diadem.

[freckle]

An epilogue (Alice in Wonderland)
Lewis Carroll

A boat, beneath a sunny sky
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July --

Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear
Pleased a simple tale to hear --

Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream --
Lingering in the golden gleam --
Life what is it but a dream?

I love the imagery in this poem and the dreaminess of it...wouldn't it be nice to be a child again?

[Nathaniel Lee]

Great Freckle. I love alice in wonderland but it does make me wonder what Lewis Carroll was on.

[Hes]

Whilst looking for a picture of clematis, I came across this page about haiku - I honestly did, I wasn't intentinally procrastinating although now I am! I think it is fascinating and a really thoughtful essay on the spirit of haiku.

http://poemshape.wordpress.com/categ...s/about-haiku/

I'll still write mine 5,7,5 though because I like running along counting off on my fingers.

[Harry H Howgill]

Whilst looking for a picture of clematis, I came across this page about haiku - I honestly did, I wasn't intentinally procrastinating although now I am! I think it is fascinating and a really thoughtful essay on the spirit of haiku.

http://poemshape.wordpress.com/categ...s/about-haiku/

I'll still write mine 5,7,5 though because I like running along counting off on my fingers.

That is a really well written article that doesn't get all bossy about the way to write them. Lynn Truss could learn a thing or two! There is so much more to the simple haiku than I ever envisaged. I'll have a go at some different ones later.

I liked this one...

A pear tree in bloom
In the moonlight,
A woman reading a letter.

There were just enough references to flowers in the article to let me believe you stumbled over it by accident whilst dilligently working.

I still aim for 5,7,5. But if it sounds better with just a little syllable added or left out I'm happy with that too now. I'm sure the haiku police would let it pass.

[deborah]

I don't know the author but continuing the winter theme:

Snowman Sniffles

At winter's end a snowman grows
a snowdrop on his carrot nose
a little, sad, late-season sniff
dried by the spring wind's handkerchief
But day and night the sniffles drop
like flower buds they never stop
until you wake and find one day
the cold, old man has run away
and winter's winds that blow and pass
left drifts of snowdrops in the grass
reminding us where such things grow
a snowman sniffed not long ago