Quicklinks:
Short S. | Poetry | Not News | Scripts | Comedy | Non-Fiction | SF | Crime | For Kids | Extended | Village
Great Writing - Home > Poetry > girl in winter
READING ROOM
Great Writing - Home
Read and review others' work
Articles on writing
Advice from the community
COMMUNITY
Talk to others in the forums
Events and Competitions
GW News
ABOUT GREAT WRITING
All About Us
Contact Us
WORK AWAITING REVIEW
GW IS...
Great Writing creative writing community is designed to prompt ideas and provide inspiration and motivation within aspiring and amateur authors. Whatever your topic; from love poetry to Doctor Who or Harry Potter fan fiction, Great Writing's online writing group is where you can make new friends and improve your creative writing.
WHO'S ONLINE
We have 1672 guests online and 12 members online
Poetry
print friendly version     
girl in winter
By gnomon
12 November 2007



shorts and sandals
she wears
- there
by the port side railing,
the cruise ship
carving
blue black water
wonderfully warm,
the captain announcing
north pole, north pole
ladies and gentlemen
the north pole
passing beneath us now,
- and she
watching it pass,
blue blue
Arctic blue desert,
girl in winter
gone north for summer,
finding
- at last
a penguin in
her guide book










©

Reviews

Written by audrie (444 comments posted) 13th November 2007
Do they have penguins at the North Pole? And I thought the North Pole was solid ice! 
Sorry to be picky!

Written by gnomon (6 comments posted) 13th November 2007
no penguins - that is the point

Written by gnomon (6 comments posted) 13th November 2007
just like there is no ice

Written by Phil (6393 comments posted) 13th November 2007
I got it - set some time in the future, ice cap melted, holidays in the relative cool, penguins only survive in print. 
 
Point cleverly made, although I'm not so sure about the poem itself. It kind of skates (!) very quickly from start to finish. Some nice rhythms, but they came and went. 
 
Phil.

Written by audrie (444 comments posted) 14th November 2007
Well, there still wouldn't be penguins in the guide book, for the south pole maybe...???

Written by gnomon (6 comments posted) 14th November 2007
Hi Audrie 
 
the point of the poem is that everything is upside down 
 
- warm wonderful Arctic water, which should be ice cold 
 
- girl summer vacationing in the Arctic in shorts and sandals when she should have a parka and boots 
 
- keel of the boat passing over the north pole which should be solid ice and impassable 
 
- penguins in the wrong place, girl not knowing it, publisher too 
 
metaphorical not literal, the world upside down 
 
 
 
 
 

Written by Phil (6393 comments posted) 14th November 2007
So I'm well off the mark then. Whoops - still, not the first time. 
 
Phil.

   Only registered users can rate and write comments.
   Please login or register.

Powered by AkoComment 2.0!
 Previous item   Next item
This site is copyright 2005 - 2007 Great Writing. Work submitted by members remains the copyright of the respective authors.
See our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.