Bundle up warm, because today we'll be exploring the beautiful blue world of ice. Get ready for chilly fingers and Jack Frost nipping at your nose with this poetry prompt!
For those in the Northern Hemisphere, January is the month of frost, snow, and ice. And as the winter storms start to settle in, what better way to celebrate the season than by reading and writing poetry?
You can check out some great winter poetry here, but for now, let's read a bit of a poem by Billy Collins to set the scene.
From "Snow Day"
Today we woke up to a revolution of snow,
its white flag waving over everything,
the landscape vanished,
not a single mouse to punctuate the blankness,
and beyond these windows
the government buildings smothered,
schools and libraries buried, the post office lost
under the noiseless drift,
the paths of trains softly blocked,
the world fallen under this falling.
Be sure to read Collins' full poem to hear more of the lighthearted adventures that happen in a town with a snow day!
Now, it's your turn to observe the world in winter. For today's prompt, we'll be focusing specifically on ice. If there isn't any cold weather where you live, take a short walk to your freezer and use some home-made ice instead.
Otherwise, bundle up and go for a walk! Can you spot any ice in your neighborhood? Are there any frozen puddles in the streets? What about frost on the windows of cars? Tiny dripping icicles on your front porch?
When you find some ice, take a close look. If it's safe, pick up some ice and feel it for yourself. Ask some questions:
- What colors do you see in the ice?
- What does the texture and feeling remind you of? Is it like something else you've felt? What's the strangest or most surprising comparison you can make?
- With ice from your freezer, do a few more tests: does it smell like anything? What happens when you put it in water? Can you taste the ice?
Then, write a poem about the ice. You may find it helpful to write a sensory poem that focuses on your five senses.
Or, write a poem about one of the metaphors (comparisons) you came up with earlier. Do you think ice is like cotton candy because it melts in your hand? Write that in your poem and surprise everyone!
You can also write about global issues like melting ice around the world. If you do, make your poem come to life by using specific details from your earlier observations of ice!
As always, you can share your poetry with us here.