The day is a gray one and bitter cold Wind slapping my face piercingly bold The snow is icy white, the top layer is hard My forced footsteps leave the service scarred
Not a sound is heard, noises freeze in mid air Later the moon exposes that activity was their Some rabbits, deer and even some wolf tracks Leaving me to wonder, are they running in packs
Tired and hungry, I head back to my lodge Safe, yet feeling there is something I just dodged looking out my window I see shadows prowling There they are on the hill, I hear the wolves howling
I can't believe what I'm hearing though no doubt it's true When I should expect the next train to be coming through Putting trust in the letters you wrote to me this past year I traveled hundreds of miles with not an ounce of fearTrying not to panic even though I don't see you waiting for me Dare I get off this train or stay on so I can return home safely Perhaps you were just a little late getting out your front door Giving it extra thought, we should have corresponded moreI think I let this go a bit to far, I must be insane Going back to reality and stay put on this train Having no friends or family living in this little town The chance after seeing me, you might turn me down
Just when I've decided to stay on the train I hear someone shout
Hey pretty lady I'm happy you came, seeing you gives me no doubt
A love can grow strong and lasting if only at first through the mail
At last your here, brought to me by train over many miles of rails
Author Eileen Clark 2023
The words to describe this long trying dreary day Could be cloudy gloomy dismal and very very gray It's damp here in the house, cold and raining out
A day one could stay in bed, of this I have no doubtSlipping under my covers hoping it will be better in the morning I knew the rain had turned to sleet hitting hard was enough warning Weather like this I've seen before, I'm sure I'll wake up to a freeze
The barometer on my porch shows it's dropping below zero degrees
In the morning my room was bright even through closed drapes A dazzling scene of iced bushes and trees in shimmering shapes Branches were bending and crackling in a slight brisk breeze
Icicle chimes were playing some enchanting winter symphonies
Jack Frost is never heard or seen, But you can tell just where he's been For while your fast asleep at night
He paints the world a sparkling white
His freezing fingers in a trice Turn every puddle into ice Window panes those fingers trace
Fine twinkling patterns just like lace
On silken webs some spiders spun Jack Frost hangs crystals just for fun You can't see jack Frost this is true But he can still reach out to you
So wrap up warm, please take my tip Or you'll feel Jack Frost's icy grip
Author Jillian Harker
I stayed in the bedroom, one at the top of the stairs
It was my uncles when he was young and had few cares
He's in the army now serving far away from his home
His mom and dad, my grandparents, live here alone
I'm now in his bedroom spending time by myself
Either looking at the big ticking clock on the shelf
Or staring out my window at the house across the way
The one with blue shutters and no children there to play
Grandma and grandpa don't have any yard swings
They don't have any pets, don't even have toys
I brought my doll, my jacks and a few other things
On this street live old folks, no little girls and boys
Is it my imagination because of something I want there to be
Because it looks like a young person is looking back at me
Then I see her smile, she moves and her eyelashes flutter
At last I have a playmate in the house with the blue shutters
Author Eileen Clark
This poem comes from my childhood and I did stay often at my grandparents house while my brothers were in school. Unlike today where grandparents have a bedroom set aside for their grandchildren filled with toys, video games, TV’s and computers. My grandparents saved the Sunday funny papers for us. My grandpa had a couple of puzzles up on the closet shelf that he brought down when I came for a weekend and he always bought me Neapolitan ice cream. I brought my doll, jump rope, and a coloring book with my box of crayons. There was a white house next to my grandparents house and it did have blue shutters. I did sit on the edge of my uncles bed looking out the bedroom window and wishing there were kids living in that house. The part I made up was that their actually was a child in that house, there wasn’t but how I so wished there was. My grandparents did live in a neighborhood with very fine houses and older well established people residing in them, there were no children living on that block or any streets near by.
November’s the month that you get a chance, To spend time outside a little while longer. Warm sunny days may show up now and then, But the wind is cooler and a little bit stronger.
Leaf’s dangling on branches here and there, Plenty of warning before they are totally bare. Darkness comes early, light no longer yours, Better get busy, finish up those outdoor chores.
Repair all the cracks in the window panes, Clean out the twigs and leaves in your drains. Stack up plenty of logs in a nearby covered space You’ll have nightly warmth coming from your fireplace.
November gives you the time to put your mind at ease, The Almanac gives warning, this winter a deep freeze. Sitting by the fire with your coffee, you have not a care, You were the smart one, you knew how well to prepare.
Author Eileen Clark 2014
Quoted by Sarah Blank Studios
paintings, ramblings
"The New England style farmhouse above is from 1750. Despite the clear skies and November sunbeams, the inside of the homestead was so dark and smelled of creosote from ages past. A little fire burned in the kitchen and herbs hung from the ceiling. The surrounding fields were the home to 13,000 soldiers during the Revolutionary War."
The September days can get very hot
Turn on the air conditioner, then it's not
By late afternoon you are cold again
Turn off the air and let evening set it
The very next day you wake up to a chill
Is that really frost on your windowsill
Get out the sweaters and turn up the heat
The days to come this activity we'll repeat
We are just now entering the first of November
Much talk of a heat wave, so try to remember
Weather change happens so don't lose your cool
Predicting the weather makes a smart man a fool
Author Eileen Clark
I was kinda sad and low when I went to bed
Unhappy feelings swirling round in my head
Mama said I would feel much better tomorrow
A new day often seems to wash away any sorrow
I sure don't know how that can possibly be
My best friend is really really mad with me
We had a terrible fight over such a silly thing
She even threw at me our friendship ring
I turned out the light and climbed into my bed
I need to tell her I'm sorry, words not easily said
As soon as I made that decision my heart felt free
And even the moon outside was smiling down at me
Author Eileen Clark 2022
Not far from my house there's a street we never go down
I know mama has driven on most streets in our small town
When we go by this one a cheeky smile comes onto her face
Asking her why the smile, I don't get an answer to embraceOlder now I hear stories about that tree in this wooded lot
Of how an old man hoisted a ladder high up to the trees top He carved out a few little house even one stuck out on a limb
I went there to see for myself, was it an old crazy man's whim
Tell me Mom about that tree, what lovely secrets do you hold
Promise me son what I say, no one else should ever be told
Late one night I drove to that tree, for reasons I don't know
I heard giggles coming from it and soft lights in every window
Author Eileen Clark 2022
Image: Tree in The Woods “Our Wonder World”, by Geo. L. Shuman & Co., Volume 5, the children’s story book.
An ordinary room that hides a sad secret Only she knows where she has to keep it Sitting against the wall in her spare room In the third drawer holds yesterday’s gloom
So long ago from her past are the letters One would hope that time would make it better Not so, for the drawer has been locked from the start Holding the sadness that’s still locked in her heart
Open the bedroom door, open the dresser drawer Open the window and let the new light in Fear no more tomorrows, fear no more sorrows Tear up the memories that tied you to him
Make new wishes, let light come through your door Tie a bright ribbon around a love that last forever more Look in the mirror and see a new life like never before Make vanish the secrets hidden in that old dresser drawer
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