Tuesday 24 February 2009

Snow Sestina




Introduction: This is a form in which the end words in each line form a sytematic pattern for each verse - see Wikipedia.

Overnight the north wind changed our world to white
No buses, no bin men, no cars on the road
Its 12 inches thick this beautiful snow
It covers roofs, roads and trees it’s a tranquil scene
Life has ground to a halt – there is even no school
Let’s go for a walk and take some photos

The BBC received a record numbers of photos
As we show off our beautiful world in white
Kids go sledging, more fun than school
Feet make a channel as they trudge down the road
The downs are transformed into an alpine scene
They are even skiing and snowboarding in the freak fall of snow

Its 18 years since we’ve had this much snow
The snow on the Acer makes a stunning photo
Wherever you look it’s a Christmas card scene
With buildings and landscape all iced in white
A snow plough made waves of snow by our road
Day two, minus six and there’s still no school

Free from homework, routine and school
They spend all day sledging in the snow
Then trudge wearily back down the road
A press photographer was on the slopes taking photos
To be a centrefold in black and white
Hats, scarves and sledges in a Dickensian Scene

Stoke Park is a weird Arctic scene
Kids have been building instead of going to school
They've made igloos and candle-lit towers of white
Fantastic constructions just made out of snow
My desktop is now my best snow photo
Traffic is starting to creep along the road

Wet boots, soggy clothes as they return down our road
The laundry room is a depressing scene
Piles of washing - not a pretty photo
I think they’re ready to return to school
They’re beginning to tire of playing in the snow
Getting cold and hungry - pinched faces all white

Relief - we have reached the end of the white road
Our snow scene is washing away in the rain
School is open and sledging photos are in local paper

2 comments:

Eleanor author of Authenticity... said...

Very topical and captures the feel of the moment from wonder to practical things like the bin men. Your writing says it like it is.

Elmira La Galesa said...

Packed with your personal impressions - a poem that is very definitely yours. A great way to bring back a memorable time.