33 Winter Poems
Discover winter’s charm and contrasts with poems capturing the season’s unique spirit.
Short Poems & Quotes | Poems | Poems About The Seasons | Winter Poems
Updated January 5, 2025, by Catherine Pulsifer
Enjoy this delightful collection of short winter poems, each reflecting the beauty and essence of the season. Winter invites us to savor the warmth of home while embracing the crisp air of a snowy walk. Though the days may be shorter, the brilliance of the night sky reminds us of winter’s unique charm. Share these poems to spread an appreciation for this special time of year, finding joy in its quiet splendor and the inspiration it brings.
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Winter’s Bright Moments
Poet: Catherine Puslifer
Winter may be cold and gray,
But special times warm up each day.
New Year's brings a hopeful start,
With fresh resolve in every heart.
Groundhog Day adds a little fun,
Will winter linger, or spring soon come?
Valentine’s Day spreads love around,
In every corner, joy is found.
These moments make the season bright,
Filling our hearts with pure delight.
Though winter’s long, these days remind,
There’s warmth and cheer for us to find! -
The Shortest Days
Poet: Catherine Puslifer
The winter months have the shortest days,
But why do they seem to drag in such a craze?
The sun sets early, leaving us in the dark,
Feeling like time is stuck, with no spark.
Nights are long, and days are fleeting,
Feels like we're stuck in endless meeting.
But fear not, for soon the spring will come along,
And daylight will once again be forever strong! -
Winter Rain
Poet: Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Falling upon the frozen world last night
I heard the slow beat of the winter rain -
Poor foolish drops, down-dripping all in vain;
The ice-bound Earth but mocked their puny might;
Far better had the fixedness of white
And uncomplaining snows - which make no sign,
But coldly smile, when pitying moonbeams shine -
Concealed its sorrow from all human sight.
Long, long ago, in blurred and burdened years,
I learned the uselessness of uttered woe.
Though sinewy Fate deals her most skillful blow,
I do not waste the gall now of my tears,
But feed my pride upon its bitter, while
I look straight in the world's bold eyes, and smile. -
The Green Grass Under The Snow
Poet: Annie A. Preston
The work of the sun is slow,
But as sure as heaven, we know;
So we'll not forget,
When the skies are wet,
There's green grass under the snow.
When the winds of winter blow,
Wailing like voices of woe,
There are April showers,
And buds and flowers,
And green grass under the snow.
We find that it's ever so
In this life's uneven flow;
We've only to wait,
In the face of fate,
For the green grass under the snow. -
Gone Is Summer
Poet: Howard Carleton Tripp
Now the dreary winds may blow
Gone are all the summer hours,
And the chilling sleet and snow
Shrouds the sepulchre of flowers;
But the spring will come again,
And will wake to life once more
All the blossoms in the glen,
All the wavelets on the shore. -
Winter Is Back Again
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
Winter brings the cold of February
But remember it is only temporary.
Spring is the season that comes next
Focus on that, it puts it all in context.
And then the heat of summer does arrive
And we start wishing for the cold to survive
And then we see the season of fall
There is beauty in the trees for all
And then we are back to winter again
The seasons are so certain! -
March Winds
Poet: Mrs. M. J. E. Crawford
The balmy scent of spring is on the breeze;
'Tis not the scent of flowers, they bloom not yet;
'Tis not the early blossoming of trees,
Their tiny leaf-buds are not more than set;
I know not whence the breathing fragrance flows . . . .
Read the complete poem, March Winds -
A Winter Thought
Poet: John Kendrick Bangs
Straight through the chill of winter days
As clear as anything,
Through all the murk, and misty ways,
I see the coming spring.
And clear above the noisy swell
Of winter's arctic blast,
I hear the bird-notes sweet that tell
Of June days come at last.
Old Winter's ways speak not of rue
To me, things drab and gray
They point the path that leads us to
The flowers of the May. -
Winter Whispers
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
Winter whispers secrets to the hearts,
Each person listens in their own way,
Kids dance and laugh in the snow's embrace,
While some seek warmth, hibernate and wait.
For others, winter's chill is a friend,
A time for joy, for cocoa and play,
So let us honor each unique view,
And find harmony in winter's varied hue. -
Old-Fashioned Winter
Poet: John Paul Bocock
Hail, genial glow of frosty health,
Old-fashioned Winter, hail!
Here's welcome to thine icy wealth
And all thy glittering mail!
The ozone crackles overhead,
The runnel 'neath the hill
Crisps blithely in its little bed
And all at once is still!
What though thy snow be slush below,
Thy breath be sleet above -
Just for the sake of long ago
Here's welcome and our love! -
Winter Is Approaching
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
Winter is approaching, oh how I yearn,
For activities that make my heart churn,
Skiing down mountains, is a thrilling delight,
Snowboarding through snowflakes, taking flight.
Ice skating with grace upon frozen ponds,
And snowshoeing adventures, where nature responds.
Oh winter, I eagerly await your call,
To embrace these joys and have a ball. -
Winter Joys
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
Winter is a time for joy
For all the girls and the boys
They love it when it snows
They are excited to see it blow.
They build the snowman, oh so high,
And they are sad when he dies.
But out they go again with determination
And build him taller with amplification.
The forts they build are big and strong
While in them they feel no wrong.
So the next time you see the snow
Get out and let your imagination flow. -
Get Out
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
Winter brings the shorter days
Less of sun and its rays
Coldness is felt in the air
And more clothes we do wear.
But winter can also bring lots of fun
Skating, snowshoeing, and tobogganing
Rosy cheeks for all to see
Enjoy hot chocolate or coffee
Don't waste away those winter days
Get out and find some play
Enjoy the season as it won't last
Get out and have a blast! -
Winter Waits
Poet: Cobb
Ice and snow, ice and snow,
Frozen fields where e'er we go.
Frozen fields and frozen lakes,
Frosted o'er like wedding cakes.
Girls and boys leave your toys.
Come and taste cold-weather joys.
Bring your sleds and bring your skates.
Hasten now while winter waits. -
Black And White
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
Winter's here, it's time to go,
Out and see the world in snow.
Black and white, stark and clean,
Nature's beauty in every scene.
The chill may nip at noses numb,
But the sights are worth the humdrum.
Get out there, don't be a hermit,
Embrace winter, its beauty infinite. -
Winter Song
Poet: Paul Laurence Dunbar
Oh, who would be sad tho’ the sky be a–graying,
And meadow and woodlands are empty and bare;
For softly and merrily now there come playing,
The little white birds thro’ the winter–kissed air.
The squirrel’s enjoying the rest of the thrifty,
He munches his store in the old hollow tree;
Tho’ cold is the blast and the snow–flakes are drifty
He fears the white flock not a whit more than we.
Then heigho for the flying snow!
Over the whitened roads we go,
With pulses that tingle,
And sleigh–bells a–jingle
For winter’s white birds here’s a cheery heigho! -
Winter Time
Poet: Robert Louis Stevenson
Late lies the wintry sun a-bed,
A frosty, fiery sleepy-head;
Blinks but an hour or two; and then,
A blood-red orange, sets again. . . .
Read the complete poem, Winter Time -
Winter
Poet: John H. Bryant
The day had been a calm and sunny day,
And tinged with amber was the sky at even;
The fleecy clouds at length had rolled away,
And lay in furrows on the eastern heaven;
The moon arose and shed a glimmering ray,
And round her orb a misty circle lay.
The hoarfrost glittered on the naked heath,
The roar of distant winds was loud and deep,
The dry leaves rustled in each passing breath,
And the gay world was lost in quiet sleep.
Such was the time when, on the landscape brown,
Through a December air the snow came down.
The morning came, the dreary morn, at last,
And showed the whitened waste. The shivering herd
Lowed on the hoary meadow-ground, and fast
Fell the light flakes upon the earth unstirred;
The forest firs with glittering snows o'er-laid
Stood like hoar priests in robes of white arrayed. -
Winter
Poet: Robert Southey
A wrinkled, crabbed man they picture thee,
Old Winter, with a rugged beard as gray
As the long moss upon the apple-tree;
Blue-lips, an ice-drop at thy sharp blue nose.
Close muffled up, and on thy dreary way.
Plodding alone through sleet and drifting snows.
They should have drawn thee by the high-heapt hearth.
Old Winter! seated in thy great armed chair,
Watching the children at their Christmas mirth,
Or circled by them, as thy lips declare
Some merry jest, or tale of murder dire,
Or troubled spirit that disturbs the night,
Pausing at times to rouse the mouldering fire,
Or taste the old October brown and bright. -
Winter Madness
Poet: Julie Hebert, ©2015
I've never been that type of person,
Who welcomes and hopes for Jack Frost.
I mourn when the sunshine starts to fade,
And when the leaves of the trees are finally lost.
When we get our first snowfall,
I must say the trees look quite nice.
But the roads are a hazard and everything's covered,
And it's always like walking on ice.
Maybe if I skied, skated, or snowshoed,
Things wouldn't be so bad.
But the fact is there isn't much I like about winter,
And this often makes me feel mad.
If I could I'd avoid the cold,
And sit in my cozy home.
I'd put on a fire and sit with a book,
And hope for winter to roam. -
The Winds Of Winter
Poet: Emily Huntington Miller
When the winds of winter
Through the forests blow.
And the moonbeams glitter
Coldly on the snow,
Sweet it is to fancy,
Though the earth is chill.
How her heart is keeping
Thoughts of summer still. -
Thankful For Unpleasant Things
Poet: Julie Hebert, ©2015
Snow is unpleasant,
When April does hit,
Enough is enough,
The snow has to quit.
But in the fall when,
That first snow has fallen.
There is no part of me,
That wishes for pollen.
The beauty that surrounds,
By all the fresh snow.
Trees lightly covered,
They offer a glow.
Looking for good,
In a pile of bad.
You'll find the part,
That makes you feel glad. -
Gray November
Poet: Unknown
Now the skies are leaden cold,
Last lone leaves are falling;
Sap is shrinking; birds fly south,
To their laggards calling.
All outdoors is growing numb.
Wood ways coldly greet us;
We must wait the winter's will
Ere the blossoms meet us.
How can sunlight flicker out
On dead stems, I wonder?
Hark! Was that an elfin laugh
From the thicket yonder?
Gray November's willful child.
None to stay or stint her,
Flaunts her tousled yellow locks.
In the face of winter! -
The Longest Months
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
In January, the chill sets in,
February follows with snow and wind.
March arrives with a promise of spring,
Yet these months feel the longest they bring.
The days are short, the nights are cold,
But still, we find beauty in each snowflake's hold.
So may we endure this wintry cheer,
For soon enough, warmer days will draw near. -
Nature's Bedtime
Poet: Unknown
Now Nature, like a careless child,
That, sweetly innocent, can view
No shame in nakedness, disrobes,
To sleep the long, dark winter through
And, like the careless child, she, too.
Fagged out with pleasures of the day.
Flings down her garments here and there
For us to put away.
Nature Poems
January And February
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
January and February,
The coldest winter months,
When chill creeps in
And frost takes hold.
Cheeks get rosy
And breath forms clouds,
Yet there's a magic
To these icy days.
Wrap up warm
And face the cold,
Get outside and feel alive,
For in nature's chilling grip lies beauty untold. -
Dust of Snow
Poet: Robert Frost
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued. -
Blooming Hope in Winter’s Chill
Poet: Helen Barron Bostwick
A week of sun, a week of shower
On February's front of gloom,
And lo! within my garden bower
A flowering-almond burst to bloom.
Read the complete poem, Blooming Hope in Winter’s Chill -
The Winter Pine
Poet: John Kendrick Bangs
Out there in the sleet and hail
Through this window-pane of mine
Heedless of the roaring gale
I can see a noble pine.
Tempests rage, and torrents beat;
Icy chill besieges, now.
And a weight of frozen sleet
Bends each overarching bough.
Yet amid the storm and strife
Quiet, strengthful and serene,
Still it holds its place in life
Unconcerned, and ever green.
There 's a hint for me, I guess,
In the midst of storm and stress! -
Embrace Winter
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
Winter's here, with shorter days,
Monochrome scenes in its intricate ways.
But hark! Hear the snowflakes gently call,
Inspiration's afoot as they softly fall.
Blankets of white cover all around,
Calming our minds, silencing the sound.
So let's embrace the changing season,
Winter brings new wonders for us to reason. -
A Time Of Year
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
Winter is a time of year
That some look forward to and cheer
But for others, winter feels cold
They just sit back and grow old.
Read the complete poem, A Time Of Year -
Midwinter
Poet: Richard Burton
Sweet is the sunshine, virginal the wood
Snow-mantled, - keen the tingle of the cold;
Here is a sense of stainlessness, - a mood
Of peace, and yet of courage, - morning-bold.
Walk bravely down the day, nor drop from mind
Midwinter’s lesson: how the storms of night
Leave only loveliness and joy behind,
Making the old year new,- the new year white. -
In Winter Days
Poet: Helen M. Richardson
When autumn breezes rattle at the casement,
And whistle through the pine-trees at the door;
When squirrels store up nuts without abatement,
And corn-stalks pile up on the old barn floor. . .
Read the complete poem, In Winter Days -
Winter's Quiet Beauty
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
Winter’s touch turns world to gold,
A sight of beauty, calm and bold.
Snowflakes glisten, crisp and bright,
Turning every day to light.
In the quiet, peace we find,
A wonder that refreshes mind.
Winter’s charm, so soft and true,
A season full of hope anew.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s poem "Winter Rain" reflects on facing life’s challenges with strength and grace. She uses the image of rain falling on frozen ground to show how some efforts, like expressing sorrow, can feel useless against tough circumstances. Instead, she highlights the quiet endurance of snow, which hides its struggles without complaint. Drawing from her own experiences, the poet shares the importance of facing hardships with pride and keeping a smile, even in difficult times. The poem reminds us that inner strength and resilience can help us move forward, no matter how hard life gets.
Read the complete poem, Gone Is Summer
February Poems
John Kendrick Bangs’ poem "A Winter Thought" inspires hope by focusing on the promise of spring even in the heart of winter. The poet sees beyond the cold and gray, envisioning the warmth and bloom of May. He hears the sweet songs of birds and imagines the joys of June, undeterred by winter's icy grip. The message is simple yet uplifting: even in life’s dreary moments, brighter days are ahead, and every challenge leads us to something better. It’s a beautiful reminder to keep faith and look forward to what’s to come.
Winter Quotes
Poems About the Change of Seasons - These seasonal poems provide context for winter, highlighting the transitions and contrasts that make this chilly time of year so special.
Poems About Snowmen
Cobb's poem "Winter Waits" celebrates the fun and beauty of winter. The poet paints a picture of icy fields and frosted lakes, inviting children to step away from their indoor toys and embrace the joys of the season. With sleds and skates in hand, the call is to enjoy the magic of winter while it lasts. It’s a cheerful reminder to make the most of every moment and find delight in the simple pleasures of cold-weather fun.
Funny Winter Poems - These humorous takes on winter bring a lighthearted twist to the cold season, providing a contrast to its often serious and reflective tones.
Winter Poems For Kids
John H. Bryant's poem "Winter" captures the quiet beauty and stillness of a snowy December. He describes a calm day that transitions into a frosty night with the moon shining softly through misty skies. As the snow begins to fall, the world is blanketed in white, transforming the landscape into a serene and glistening scene. By morning, the snowy earth reflects the chill of winter, with herds seeking warmth and trees standing majestic, draped in snow like figures in white robes. The poem reminds us of winter's peaceful yet powerful presence.
Poems About Snowflakes - Snowflake poems highlight the intricate and fleeting beauty of winter, a perfect complement to broader reflections on the season.
Quotes About Snow
January Poems - Poems dedicated to January delve into the depths of winter, reflecting on its quiet strength and the renewal it brings.
Robert Frost's poem "Dust of Snow" reminds us how small moments can brighten our day. The simple act of a crow shaking snow from a tree changes the poet’s mood, turning a regretful day into something better. It’s a powerful message about finding joy and hope in life’s little surprises, showing how even nature’s smallest gifts can lift our spirits and shift our perspective.
Quotes About The Seasons
Richard Burton's poem "Midwinter" captures the beauty and strength found in winter's chill. The crisp sunshine and snow-covered woods bring a feeling of purity and peace, paired with a bold sense of courage. The poet encourages us to embrace winter's lesson: storms may come, but they leave behind a renewed sense of joy and beauty. It’s a reminder to walk through life’s challenges with bravery, knowing that every storm can lead to a fresh, bright start.
Month Poems - Poems that offer insight into winter’s role within the year, showing how its challenges and beauty shape our experience of time.
- December Poems - Celebrate winter's magic with seasonal verses.
- Spring Poems - Dream of spring’s renewal after winter.
- Summer Poems - Contrast winter’s chill with summer’s warmth.
- Autumn Poems - Recall autumn’s lead-up to winter’s arrival.
- February Quotes - Find inspiration during winter’s final stretch.
- Christmas Poems - Embrace the spirit of winter's holiday season.
- New Year Poems - Start your winter with inspiring New Year Poems that celebrate fresh beginnings and bring hope for the year ahead.
- Groundhog Poems - Add some fun to your winter with Groundhog Poems that capture the whimsy of this unique seasonal tradition.
- Valentines Day Poems - Warm your heart this winter with Valentine’s Day Poems that express love and affection in the season's chill.
More Poems About The Seasons to Inspire
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