First Snow

First snow of winter,
mixed with sleet and hail, settles
lightly on the ground.

Winter

This can’t be right.
Although we might be pleased
the weather is so mild
shouldn’t we be worried
that our winter isn’t cold?

Winter’s Grip

Winter’s grip;
cold, still and frosty.
Magpie swoops low
over the hedge.
Furtive.

Battle of the Seasons

Cold and wet — dry and sunny,
back and forth — push and shove,
Winter and Spring — arms akimbo.
Who will win?

Easter

Easter
arrives early
this year, yet
Winter’s grip does not
relent.

Spring

“No matter how long the Winter,
Spring is sure to follow.”

Proverb in various traditions.

Spring Englyn

Snowdrops now their dainty heads show, green stems
extend through cloak of snow.
Signs of Spring; we watch them grow.

Following soon come tulips fair, and bold
gold daffodils bloom where
now the ground is dark and bare.

The seasons are changing, the sun returns
and warms the earth, to shun
Winter’s grip; her battle won.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Whilst looking for something else on the Internet I came across the Englyn form. This is, I understand, an old Bardic poetic form and I thought it would be fun to try to write one. As you can see the form consists of  3-line stanzas. It is a syllable counting form with lines of 10, 6 and 7 syllables respectively. That’s the easy bit!

The rhyme pattern requires end rhymes of AAA. However, (and this is where it gets complicated) the end rhyme of the first line isn’t actually at the end; it can be one, two or three syllables in from the end and the sound of the syllables after the rhyming word are echoed at the beginning of the following line.

You will see I have cheated a bit here, my echoes are not exact, making use of near rhymes and slant rhymes – green stems/extend (Stanza 1),  returns/and warms (stanza 3) and missing out one element in stanza 2 – and bold/gold.

Hints

Snowdrop buds appear,
hints of beauty yet to come.
Winter darkness fades.

Denial

The days lengthen,
the cold strengthens;
Winter in denial that
the return of the sun
has begun.

Winter Birds

Hungry winter birds
feasting on nature’s bounty:
red holly berries.