RssFacebook
Submission Page

The Ring

Posted by in on 5-7-12

It was early evening when the snow came.
Small shiny crystals at first,
then big, bold, boulders of ice.
Solemnly, it painted everything white.
Until outside was a frosty picture,
shining like a diamante landscape against the ink blue sky.
It was fascinating to watch moonbeams bounce off rooftops
like lasers in a vast arcade.
Then I noticed her.
She looked about 9 or 10, not much older than me,
but ragged and worn.
A pale, thin figure that shivered and shook,
beside the rusty dustbin where she stood.
How could anyone so small, be out on her own,
on a night so cold and cruel.
I should invite her in, to sit by the fire,
sip warm tea and eat marmalade toast,
but I did not know her name,
and I had been warned to stay clear of strangers.
So I looked for a warm blanket, some clothes and sweets.
I put them out beside the door, sighed loudly and retreated.
She scrambled to the door and first ate the sweets.
She put on the clothes, they fitted like a glove,
then she turned to me, smiled and waved.
I was about to ask her name, but she vanished.
Instead, there was a perfect ring of pure light,
that floated into the dark cold night,
until that also, went out of sight.

 

Listen to an audio recording of this poem:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Voice: Barbara Llewellyn

 

Snowflakes
Snowflakes   Buy this Framed Art Print at AllPosters.com

Additional Info

About the Contributor:

The daughter of a Ghanaian diplomat, I was born in Russia in 1965. My childhood years were spent in a number of countries including India, Italy and Ghana, finally settling in Britain with my parents, two brothers and two sisters, at the ripe old age of 11. I graduated from The University of Surrey with a degree in Biology and Chemistry in 1987 and subsequently gained a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of London. I currently work as a research scientist for a well-known pharmaceutical company. I enjoy cycling into the sunset, swimming in moonlit waters and creative writing, particularly from a positive perspective.

# of lines in poem:

28

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

Please log in to vote

You need to log in to vote. If you already had an account, you may log in here

Alternatively, if you do not have an account yet you can create one here.