Discover Winter Sounds by North East poet and naturalist, Terry Astley, a poem that reminds us of our connection to nature through sights and sounds in winter.
The Walk.
Down through the woods
And along the paths,
Underfoot, at every step,
The muffled crunch of frozen snow.
The creaking and the tinkling clink of breaking ice,
When walkers step on frozen pools.
The whistle and moan when north winds blow.
A cough, a sneeze,
A shivering chatter of the teeth,
The cry of pain as too cold fingers start to warm.
The slithering whoosh of snow from roofs
That lands below with heavy thumps
And then the scrape of shovels cleaning paths.
These are the sounds of the winter’s freeze.
The Bird.
Terry Astley, 2018
About the author
Terry lives in North Fenham with his wife Brenda. He is interested in all aspects of natural history, but his main interest is geology. He is getting more interested in botany as he regularly attends the Midweek Botany Group outings.
Terry started writing poetry after he had retired, when on holiday in Skye, and the wonderful scenery inspired him to put pen to paper. He has continued to write poems about the natural world ever since and often reads one to the botany group when they are having lunch during their outings. He was very pleased earlier this year, when one of his poems was included in the recently published book: A Journey in Landscape Restoration Carrifran and Beyond.