The first drab fringes of winter appear, The air, damp and chill, Swift little whirlwinds careen madly about And fill The atmosphere with chaff, from off the far flung prairie, Tumbleweeds and thistles, light and airy, Race crazily across the outlying expanses Vying for shelter against occasional fences; Ominous clouds appear, skies are overcast, Sheep seek shelter from the wintry blast, And I am reminded ever and anon That winter is here, autumn is gone. As if in warning of approaching storm, Wild geese honk shrilly on their southward march, The slim jack-pine, the western larch, Transplanted from a warmer clime, Seem pale and colorless and aloof; Sparrows huddle shiveringly Beneath the protecting roof, Chittering collectively as though To bless the bit of shelter Afforded them; snowflakes fall eddyingly, Helter-skelter, And children playing in the streets Run quickly home and don Warmer clothing; thus I am reminded Ever and anon, That winter is here, Autumn, past and gone! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...DOWN THE BROOK by ROBERT FROST THE SUICIDE by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON OCTAVES: 15 by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON |