This way the dust, that way the dust. I listen to both sides But I keep right on. I remember the leaves sitting in judgment And then winter.
—WS MerwinOh, mercy! music may be bliss But not in such a shape as this, When all I do, and all I say, Begins and ends in Patrick’s Day.
—Eliza CookAn extra yawn one morning in the springtime, an extra snooze one night in the autumn is all that we ask in return for dazzling gifts.
—Winston ChurchillFor the listener, who listens in the snow, And, nothing himself, beholds Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.
—Wallace StevensHome is a place we carry inside ourselves, a place where we welcome the unfamiliar because we know that as time passes it will become the very bedrock of our being.
—Verlyn KlinkenborgAmerica, you great unfinished symphony, you sent for me. You let me make a difference. A place where even orphan immigrants can leave their fingerprints and rise up.
—Lin-Manuel MirandaThis thing, Called love, I just can’t handle it, This thing, Called love, I must get round to it, I ain’t ready, Crazy little thing called love.
—Freddie MercuryWood smoke in the valley Blends with the scent of snow, And winter Crystal quiet, Grips the ground below.
—Conrad NeumannThis way the dust, that way the dust. I listen to both sides But I keep right on. I remember the leaves sitting in judgment And then winter.
—W.S. MerwinLike stars, or the feathers Of some unimaginable bird That loves us, That is asleep now, and silent — That has turned itself Into snow.
—Mary OliverThe night is darkening round me, The wild winds coldly blow; But a tyrant spell has bound me And I cannot, cannot go.
—Emily BronteLittle January Tapped at my door today. And said, “Put on your winter wraps, And come outdoors to play.
—Winifred C. MarshallSo much of any year is flammable, Lists of vegetables, partial poems Orange swirling flame of days, So little is a stone.
—Naomi Shihab NyeI heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
—Henry Wadsworth LongfellowThe coasting crowd upon the hill With some new spirit seems to thrill; And all the temple bells achime. Ring out the glee of Christmas time.
—Paul Laurence Dunbarwho found you in the green forest and were you very sorry to come away? see i will comfort you because you smell so sweetly.
—e.e. cummingsA film of mist clings to the storm windows As the thunder gets pocketed and carried away In the rain’s dark overcoat. A good reading night.
—Wayne MillerWe lie on the cold sand and it embraces us, this beach where locals never go in summer and boast of their absence.
—Marge PiercyBut blessings are like friends, I hold, Who love and labor near us. We ought to raise our notes of praise While living hearts can hear us.
—Ella Wheeler WilcoxCitizens all, they move their hands over the humble, battered body of the nation, while their fingers make full utterance: I want, I want.
—Martha Hollander