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Late August
A poem, a poet’s note and a poetry prompt
Sad gray has filled the blue oasis
of this spring day which slipped
to brighten late winter’s gloom.
It seems as if the dull cold
will never end, the deadness
seeps through mind and body.
Is it only imagination that hears
our very pores crying out for
warmth and sunshine, leaning north?
This time of year is desperate,
violence mere revolt against
the dread of winter never ending.
Poet’s note: Here in Australia we are still in the heated days of summer and bushfires, so a poem like this is a sharp reminder to me of what it feels like in August when winter darkness makes everyone feel depressed. For those readers in the northern hemisphere, where winter might be dragging on, this is a poem that might well resonate!
Poetry prompt: Start your seasonal poem by jotting down a lot of descriptive words, looking around you in the physical world. But then add in how the landscape and the weather make you feel, make others feel. Seasonal disorders (lack of sunlight, for example) have quite an effect on humans. Try to capture the mood and emotion of the season beyond the physical. It can help a poem to give it limits — you could try four three-line stanzas like mine to keep the poem focused.
