Ice

Some background (and probably unnecessary) information accompanies this free verse poem that, if you previously read it on Facebook or Instagram, I did not share. If you do follow me on those platforms, I apologize for the lack of anything new to you, except maybe the reason behind the poem, which I will explain momentarily.

While we're on the subject of new things, though, my sister designed a logo for this blog! You can see it to the right, and please click on the photo to follow the link to her Instagram page for her artwork. She's a high school student, and art is her passion; I'm so proud of her and her accomplishments (her work utterly amazes me)! So please check that out and follow her if you want to see more!

Back to the background information. In Texas, especially the region where I live, we rarely see snow. The weather persistently stays dry and with a low of 40 degrees Fahrenheit most days, with some exceptions. Last week, we experienced several of those rare exceptions, as I walked across my college campus en route to the gym, I passed by one of the many ponds outside the gym. To my delight, ice covered most of the pond even though the sun shone upon it. The light cast the shadowed reflection of a tree upon the ice, and the colors struck me as beautiful, so naturally, I pulled out my phone and snapped a photo of it as proof that although we didn't see snow this year, we saw some form of frozen water!
Later that evening, I prepared to post that photo on social media, and because I prefer posting photos with a quote or clever caption beyond my own wit and words, I searched for poems about ice. Most of the results featured "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost; while a lovely poem, it wasn't quite what I wanted (even still, I recommend you read it if and when you find the opportunity). During supper, inspiration struck out of nowhere, and I promptly ignored my family (oops) and wrote this poem.

Ice creeps in,

You can’t ignore

The chill, the ache,

The lust for more.

In your bones,

So slow yet strong,

You’re bleeding ice—

There’s nothing wrong.

It burns within

And numbs without,

Bewitching all

With winter’s drought.

But ice is more

Than frozen lakes

It calms the mind,

While hearts it takes.

Frost claims what

Its fingers brush:

Soothing waves

And forests lush.

Like love, whose

Tendrils chill and burn,

By forcing stubborn

Hearts to yearn.

Love, like ice,

A burning chill,

Which begs the beating

Pulse to still.

I hope you enjoyed it. If so, please comment below! If not, feel free to comment and tell me what you didn't like about it. I firmly believe in constructive criticism, and enjoy hearing your thoughts and opinions. Thank you for reading!

~Abigail