Tucked into a bowl of shallow hills,
where icicles hang and chill snow spills
over the valley like milk on cornflakes,
is a cosy chocolate yule log cabin,
home to the guardian of Christmas robins.
Stoking a crackling stove with wood,
she prepares a feast of woodland food:
fat balls, berries, nuts and seeds
to hang on fences, trees and gutters,
tempting birds with their chirps and flutters.
Outside in the cold and ice, she holds her breath
at the bright red round of robins’ breasts.
Kim M. Russell, 2016
“Snow Birthed Tales”, by Jenny Leslie
(the artist has allowed us to use her photo on our personal blogs; we have been asked to please link it to her Instagram account)
My Christmassy response to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Poetry and Flash Fiction with Magaly: Snow Birthed Tales
This weekend Magaly is presenting the first in a series of Poetry and Flash Fiction prompts. She would like us to use Jenny Leslie’s photo as inspiration to craft a new poem or story, while keeping in mind that poetry must be written in 13 lines or fewer and we must use one (or all) of these words: snow, cabin, ice; and flash fiction should have 313 words or fewer and must be set inside the cabin.
writing in north norfolk 
A lovely take on the prompt. I definitely relate–my bird feeders are a constant joy–and I love your parade of wintry but far from cold images.
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Thank you!
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My goodness❤️ I absolutely love how you open this poem with those delicious images of “hill snow spills over the valley like milk on cornflakes, is a cosy chocolate yule log cabin home to the guardian of Christmas robins” sigh.. gives me a feeling of elation and joy of welcoming the season.❤️
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Thank you, Sanaa! 💜
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I just finished listening to Neil Gaiman read Edgar Allan Poe’s, “The Raven”. So it was his voice that I heard in my head reading your poem to me… and it was pure yumminess, Kim! I love the festive tone and theme, the dance between nature and humanity, the colors and the song that dances from line to line.
The last two lines made me hold my breath for a bit, and smile. 🙂
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Your comments have made my day, Magaly! Thanks you so much! 🌞
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I love the comfort and “homeliness” (as in, holding on to the things that make a place feel like a home rather than just a habitation) of this piece. You described such a charming snapshot of winter.
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Thank you, Rommy!
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I’m a feeder of birds, so this made me smile.
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😊
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Such excellence and vibrancy!
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Thank you!
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A feast… we must care for our birds – and I enjoy it as in the summer I live in a wooded area and they don’t come to my feeder as often. This morning, it was crowded and they were chasing each other off – I enjoyed watching them.
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Birds and trees – bliss!
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