The North Wind teases moored-up boats,
ties knots in grass along the coast,
leaves on our lips a salty taste,
and chases inland ocean ghosts.
It plays hide and seek with housewives’ washing,
steals old folks’ breath and sets them coughing,
plucks at branches, sends them crashing,
and cheers the rain’s pouring and splashing.
The North Wind wakes us up at night,
it flickers the electric light,
but during the day it can delight
by playfully tugging at a kite.
Kim M. Russell, 10th July 2019
My response to Poets United Midweek Motif: Weather
Sumana is here with another Midweek Motif, and this time it’s weather, something we British seem to talk about a lot, although Sumana says that weather phenomena have become common topics of conversations worldwide, as humans have altered their environment and much damaged their relationship with nature.
Sumana would like to see what face of weather peeps through our lines: merciful, catastrophic or metaphoric. She has shared quotations from Dale Evans and Oscar Wilde, as well as poems from Dorothy Parker and Dylan Thomas.
I’m sharing a children’s poem I wrote not long before I read this prompt.
writing in north norfolk 
How I enjoyed the rhythm and rime! So apt with the mood of the theme. Lovely.
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Rime is part of a British winter too!
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oh dear, ‘rhyme’ 😦
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Such gorgeous, gorgeous rhyming in this one, Kim! ❤️ Especially love; “It plays hide and seek with housewives’ washing.” 😀
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Thanks Sanaa. It’s usually my washing! 😊
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Love this poem. I like the painting you chose though I could envision some illustrations that would make it fun for kids. Really nice.
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Thanks Myrna. I had trouble finding an illustration I liked. This one is by a Danish art nouveau children’s book illustrator, but I’m not sure if it’s from a children’s book.
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I can feel the rhythm of the wind in this poem……..
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I absolutely love this Kim. That last stanza is beautiful!
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Thank you, Linda!
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I can feel the cold wind as I read the words.
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Cheers Cie!
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“Always look on the bright side” is not a bad way to think.
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That’s me!
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I like the rhythm of this piece. I can see how this would make a delightful poem for a child.
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Thank you, Truedessa.
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Love this poem from the beginning till the end Many beautiful images and love the last playful line
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Thank you so much, Marja!
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It’s a beautiful poem with vivid imagery, Kim. The lines are playful, indeed. I smiled at “It plays hide and seek with housewives’ washing” What a fine line!
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Thanks Khaya!
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How kind is the north wind! It is wonderful when you can connect to your inner child … it makes you leap for joy in sheer happiness. ‘Life and ‘living’ are at the core of this poem but at the same time, it is contemplative…
Fantastic. What a delightful poem, Kim.
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Thank you so much, Panchali.
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This is beautiful, Kim. I love “and chases inland ocean ghosts”. What a deeply compelling image. What is it like for ocean ghosts to be swept inland, and what is it like for us land-goers to be surrounded by ghosts blown in on the North Wind? Love it!
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Thank you so much! We seem to have a lot of ghosts that have been swept inland here on the Norfolk coast. Britain has more than its fair share.
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I love this, Kim.
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Thank you Ayala.
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kaykuala
The North Wind can be a bother if one is not careful. True enough!
Hank
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Especially here in the UK!
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