December 15th

 This picture and the poem below comes from one of my small Christmas books  " A Christmas Album".  A collection of poems, pictures and little stories published in 1987.

A WORD ABOUT WINTER

Now the frost is on the pane,

Rugs upon the floor again.

Now the screens are in the cellar,

Now the student cons the speller,

Lengthy summer noon is gone.

Twilight treads the heels of dawn

Round-eyed sun is now a squinter,

Tiptoe breeze a panting sprinter.

Every cloud a blizzard hinter,

Squirrel on the snow a printer,

Rain spout sprouteth icy splinter,

Willy-nilly this is winter.

Summer-swollen doorjambs settle,

Ponds and puddles turn to metal,

Skater whoops in frisky fettle,

Golf club stingeth like a nettle,

Radiator sings like kettle

Hearth is Popocatepetl.

Runneth nose and chappeth lip

Draft evadeth weather strip,

Doctor wrestles with grippe

In never-ending rivalship.

Rosebush droops in garden shoddy 

Blood is cold and thin in body,

Weary postman dreams of toddy,

Head before the hearth grows noddy.

On the hearth the embers gleam,

Glowing like a maiden's dream,

Now the apple and the oak

Paint the sky with chimney smoke,

Husband now without disgrace,

Dumps ash trays in the fireplace.

                                                          Ogden Nash 1902 - 1971

I googled to see when this was written and found it doesn't seem to be as well known as another of his poems which has often  been included in books of children's poems.

Winter Morning Poem by Ogden Nash

Winter is the king of showmen,
Turning tree stumps into snow men
And houses into birthday cakes
And spreading sugar over lakes.
Smooth and clean and frosty white,
The world looks good enough to bite.
That’s the season to be young,
Catching snowflakes on your tongue!
Snow is snowy when it’s snowing.
I’m sorry it’s slushy when it’s going.

Back Tomorrow

Sue