Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S., and I’m still trying to work off my turkey coma. You’d think the energy from the sugar in the tarte tatin I made would counteract the effects of the L-tryptophan in the turkey, but you’d be mistaken. Instead of it being a zero-sum situation where the chemical effects simply negate themselves, each of the effects tries to out-do the other. Sort of like a game of walleyball with your brain as the ball.
Nevertheless, I had a blog post to put together, and no amount of soaring and crashing was going to deter me from my mission. I wanted to post something seasonal for today…so I decided upon this: a poem I thought perfect for this time of year.
It is the first of 22 poems I’m including in the manuscript for my winter-themed collection; once you read it, you’ll understand why I thought it best to start the book with this particular one! Enjoy…and please be sure to check out all the Poetry Friday happenings with Mary Lee & Franki at A Year of Reading!
Naked
The wind blew off their clothes, oh my!
One minute they were fully dressed,
And then before we knew it
They had lost their tops and Sunday best.
The wind blew off their clothes, good grief!
It seemed to happen in a flash.
Now, there they stand quite naked –
Poor old elm and maple, oak and ash.
The wind blew off their clothes, it’s true;
It took away their pants and shirts.
But soon they will be looking fine
In snowy hats and snowy skirts.
– © 2012 Matt Forrest Esenwine
“in snowy hats and snowy skirts” – love! I really enjoy the gentle humor in this one, so subtle it doesn’t get in the way of the lovely images. Nicely done!
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Beautiful and fun! You use the repetition and metaphor so well.
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Thank you, both! I’m glad you liked it.
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Love this! Such a whimsical feel throughout, and then the last two lines a sheer delight. 🙂
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I appreciate it, Jama!
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Fun poem with clever rhymes and clever humor. It’s put me in the winter spirit. I LOVE seeing trees and lawn dressed in snowy duds for the holidays.
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And they’ll probably have those snowy duds soon! Thanks, Laura.
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That is really cute! Thanks for sharing it, Matt.
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Thanks, Catherine!
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Truly apt for the season, how lovely! 🙂
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Thanks for visiting, Myra!
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Nice job!
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Thanks, Ruth!
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Crossing my fingers for tall snowy hats and deep snowy skirts this year!!
Fun poem! Kids will love it!
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I love the wind blowing off their clothes! Nice rhythm in this poem!
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That is wonderful! Now I feel a little perverted admiring my barren ash tree out the window as I write, though:>) The third stanza is my favorite…
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I’m so glad you all liked it! And Laura, try not to stare at the ash too long – you might embarrass him.
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Great poem! I can see kids really getting a kick out of this one.
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Thanks, Tabatha…I hope so!
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Like it, Matt!
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Hey, thanks, Matt! Glad you stopped by!
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Very nicely done, Matt. Love the metaphor!
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Thanks, BJ!
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