Year Without Summer
The sun lay veiled in ashen gloom,
A sky bereft of warmth or bloom.
The days grew pale, the nights stretched long,
A world unsung, a frozen song.
The fields lay bare, the rivers mute,
No fruit to pluck, no seed to root.
The trees held hands in brittle prayer,
Yet none could breathe the poisoned air.
Time limped forth on hollow feet,
A starving earth in slow defeat.
The dawn arrived in ghostly hues,
A palette drained of golds and blues.
From whispering throats the echoes cried,
A summer lost—a world denied.
A sky bereft of warmth or bloom.
The days grew pale, the nights stretched long,
A world unsung, a frozen song.
The fields lay bare, the rivers mute,
No fruit to pluck, no seed to root.
The trees held hands in brittle prayer,
Yet none could breathe the poisoned air.
Time limped forth on hollow feet,
A starving earth in slow defeat.
The dawn arrived in ghostly hues,
A palette drained of golds and blues.
From whispering throats the echoes cried,
A summer lost—a world denied.
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Background: The fragility of life, unexpected catastrophe, and survival in hardship. This poem is inspired by the real historical event of 1816, known as the Year Without a Summer, when volcanic ash from the Tambora eruption caused global cooling. It illustrates the despair of a world plunged into unnatural winter, where famine and suffering ensued. Metaphorically, it can also represent personal despair moments when joy and warmth are stripped away, leaving only cold emptiness. The poem mourns what was lost but also serves as a reminder of human resilience.
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I really like the metric, rhyme scheme, and imagery you used here. I think I tend to favor a more conservative (H. W. Longfellow/ William Blake-ish) style, and this poem of yours fits that nicely. I also feel like this poem would go nicely in a book like Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles" (See the "There Will Come Soft Rains" chapter for a GREAT example.)
*And I love the personification of the trees. Brilliant.
I absolutely love the rhymes, imagery and metaphors in this poem, the meaning is deep and hits hard
Thanks guys. I hope to publish my first collection this year since I have a ton of poetry I've written.