Out of the bosom of the Air
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Poetry can be,  without a doubt, daily delectable soul food but so many of us archive it in the school classroom ‘box’ in our brain alongside uncomfortable uniforms (in the UK anyway) and long days in a cold classroom.

Shaping our home education around Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education has not only brought to my attention the importance of poetry in my children’s lives but also in mine. I read at least one poem a day for pure enjoyment; my older children write a long one out over a week for their copy work and we use lots of beautiful poetry alongside our nature study.

I  love seasonal poetry; it can inspire us in any season, but I think we particularly need it during these long, dark days! So here are 10 of my favourites for the winter season, feel free to add your own in the comments or on the Facebook page.

Ten Of My Favourite Winter Poems:

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind – Poem by William Shakespeare

Snow-Flakes. (Birds Of Passage. Flight The Second) – Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Winter-Time – Poem by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Sky Is Low, The Clouds Are Mean – Poem by Emily Dickinson

January – Poem by John Updike

Woods in Winter – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

First Snow – Mary Oliver

Snow and Ice Poems – Roger McGough

Winter Stores – Charlotte Bronte

The Snowman – Wallace Stevens

 

Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity – William Wordsworth