Embracing Winter’s Whisper: A Poetic Journey Through the Heart of the Season

As the chill of winter sets in and the festive spirit of Christmas lights up hearts, the world of poetry offers a sanctuary where these seasonal experiences are captured in their most evocative forms. In this exploration, we delve into the realm of winter and Christmas as seen through the poetic lens of five distinguished poets: Linda Gregg with Winter Love, William Carlos Williams with Winter Trees, Annie Finch with Winter Solstice Chant, Ted Kooser with Christmas Mail, and Toi Derricotte with Christmas Eve: My Mother Dressing. Each poem uniquely encapsulates the essence of winter’s introspection, the mystical allure of the solstice, and the familial warmth of Christmas, weaving a rich tapestry of imagery and emotion that resonates deeply with the reader’s own experiences of these cherished seasons.

Winter Love
By Linda Gregg

I would like to decorate this silence,
but my house grows only cleaner
and more plain. The glass chimes I hung
over the register ring a little
when the heat goes on.
I waited too long to drink my tea.
It was not hot. It was only warm.

Gregg’s poem captures the introspective nature of winter. The minimalistic decoration of silence with subtle elements, like glass chimes, and the lukewarm tea, symbolize the understated beauty of winter and a longing for warmth. The poem’s sparse language and use of enjambment create a quiet, reflective mood, emphasizing the subtlety and quiet melancholy of the season.

Winter Trees
By William Carlos Williams

All the complicated details
of the attiring and
the disattiring are completed!
A liquid moon
moves gently among
the long branches.
Thus having prepared their buds
against a sure winter
the wise trees
stand sleeping in the cold.

Williams portrays winter as a time of rest and preparation. The wise trees, standing resilient against the cold, symbolise endurance and wisdom. The poem’s free verse and clear, precise imagery, typical of Williams’ imagist style, capture the stark beauty of the winter landscape, and the personification of the trees lends them a life beyond their physical form.

Winter Solstice Chant
By Annie Finch

Vines, leaves, roots of darkness, growing,
now you are uncurled and cover our eyes
with the edge of winter sky
leaning over us in icy stars.
Vines, leaves, roots of darkness, growing,
come with your seasons, your fullness, your end.

Finch’s poem delves into the mystical aspects of winter, particularly the solstice. The repetitive chant-like structure and imagery of darkness and stars evoke the cyclical nature of the seasons and the ancient human connection to celestial patterns. The rhythm and repetition enhance the mystical quality of the poem, connecting deeply with earth’s rhythms.

Christmas Mail
By Ted Kooser

Cards in each mailbox,
angel, manger, star and lamb,
as the rural carrier,
driving the snowy roads,
hears from her bundles
the plaintive bleating of sheep,
the shuffle of sandals,
the clopping of camels.
At stop after stop,
she opens the little tin door
and places deep in the shadows
the shepherds and wise men,
the donkeys lank and weary,
the cow who chews and muses.
And from her Styrofoam cup,
white as a star and perched
on the dashboard, leading her
ever into the distance,
there is a hint of hazelnut,
and then a touch of myrrh.

Kooser brings to life the communal aspect of the Christmas season. The poem’s narrative richness and sensory details, like the sound of the rural carrier delivering cards, symbolise the spread of joy and connection. The regular stanzas and unforced rhyme mirror the carrier’s steady journey, capturing the essence of tradition and connection in the holiday season.

Christmas Eve: My Mother Dressing
By Toi Derricotte

My mother was not impressed with her beauty;
once a year she put it on like a costume,
plaited her black hair, slick as cornsilk, down past her hips,
in one rope-thick braid, turned it, carefully, hand over hand,
and fixed it at the nape of her neck, stiff and elegant as a crown,
with tortoise pins, like huge insects,
some belonging to her dead mother,
some to my living grandmother.
Sitting on the stool at the mirror,
she applied a peachy foundation that seemed to hold her down, to trap her,
as if we never would have noticed what flew among us unless it was weighted and bound in its mask.
Vaseline shined her eyebrows,
mascara blackened her lashes until they swept down like feathers;
her eyes deepened until they shone from far away.

Now I remember her hands, her poor hands, which, even then were old from scrubbing,
whiter on the inside than they should have been,
and hard, the first joints of her fingers, little fattened pads,
the nails filed to sharp points like old-fashioned ink pens,
painted a jolly color.
Her hands stood next to her face and wanted to be put away, prayed
for the scrub bucket and brush to make them useful.
And, as I write, I forget the years I watched her
pull hairs like a witch from her chin, magnify
every blotch—as if acid were thrown from the inside.

But once a year my mother
rose in her white silk slip,
not the slave of the house, the woman,
took the ironed dress from the hanger—
allowing me to stand on the bed, so that
my face looked directly into her face,
and hold the garment away from her
as she pulled it down.

Derricotte’s poem explores the personal and familial side of Christmas. The vivid, tactile imagery contrasts the elegance of the mother’s attire with the hardship of her hands, highlighting the societal expectations of women and the transient nature of beauty. The narrative style and free verse form allow the poem to flow naturally, offering a deeply personal and universal experience.

Collectively, these poems paint a picture of winter and Christmas rich in cultural symbolism and emotional depth. They explore introspection, preparation, mysticism, communal joy, and personal transformation, employing elements like minimalist language, imagist clarity, rhythmic repetition, and narrative richness to capture the essence of these seasons.

Poetry Foundation. (2023) Poetry Foundation. Available at: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/ (Accessed: 14 November 2023).