Poetry Friday

Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance. ~~Carl Sandburg

I found this treasure at the library last week, and it caught my eye because I am doing some research on the snowshoe hare. The Midnight Dance of the Snowshoe Hare, Poems of Alaska, by Nancy White Carlstrom, Illustrated by Ken Kuroi.

This is a delightful book, for children, of non-rhyming verse. The word pictures the author captures in each poem are astounding. She uses many forms of poetry and is able to allow the reader entrance to her special world in Alaska. There are 14 poems included in this collection each written about the seasons as experienced by nature. I had many favourites but the one that touched me most was as follows:


When Night Is Bright Like Day
By
Nancy White Carlstrom

In summer
When night is bright like day
The stars we see
Are wildflowers.

But if we close our eyes
We see winter sky
And stars shining in darkness

In summer
When night is bright like day
The sun we see
Cuts a path to the river.

But if we close our eyes
We see winter sun
Struggling to sit up
Above the horizon.

In summer
When night is bright like day
The river we see
Rolls over with boats and fish.

But if we close our eyes
We see winter river
Solid ribbon of ice
Winding through silence.

In summer
When night is bright like day
The trees we see
Wear sunshine and Red Squirrels.

But if we close our eyes
We see winter trees
Asleep in snow
Kissed by the moon.

In summer
When night is bright like day
We think the midnight sun
Will last forever.

But if we close our eyes
We see winter light
Dim, short-lived
And weaving its own magic.


The artwork of Ken Kuroi blends with the words, and is soft, gentle, yet crisp and filled with the colours of summer, spring and fall, and the white ice crystals and mist of winter.

This book is out of print but if you go to the author’s website you can order directly from her.

This week's Poetry Friday's roundup is at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup , where you will notice she is honouring the work of Bob Dylan, which this post is obviously not doing! Oh well, another time...