Old Winter Man
The snow lay cold
on frozen leaves of brown–
a tale Old Winter Man foretold
across the woods and up the hills and down.
Along the pike
the frosted snowflakes fell
like feathers–no two shapes alike.
Old Winter Man conveyed the saga well.
The story’s old but new
from winter’s point of view.
© 2016 Freeda Baker Nichols
Like a Chameleon
A summer haze
the temperature high
the air is hot as campfire blaze
the leaves that once were tender, crinkle dry–
we wait for rain
The churning clouds turn gray
no rain appears though clouds remain
then people at the churches start to pray
a rain falls clear and clean
the leaves change back to green.
© 2015 Freeda Baker Nichols
This form is an Ercil: 10 iambic lines with syllable count of 4-6-8-10-4-6-8-10-6-6
Rhyme: a-b-a-b-c-d-c-d-e-e
Poet or not, would you care to write an Ercil form of poem? I found the pattern through Poets’ Roundtable of Arkansas.
The Ercil is an invented form introduced by James Gray, created in honor of Arkansas poet, Ercil Brown.
Winter Surprise
On winter days
when ice and snow come down,
I lounge in my old robe and laze
around the house and wear a wrinkled frown.
To pass the time
I write upon a page,
a masterpiece without a rhyme.
To read it, one might think I’m quite a sage
for much to my surprise,
it wins the highest prize!
© 2015, Freeda Baker Nichols
This form is an Ercil: 4-6-8-10-4-6-8-10-6-6
Rhyme: a-b-a-b-c-d-c-d-e-e
Freeda Baker Nichols 