8. Winter Tales

the ground is covered with white flakes,
trees are bear,
jackets and ski pants,
mittens and hats,
there all pulled out for us to wear,
pull the sleds out,
get ready to ride,
down the hill we go,
hold on tight,
look as his face,
that little boy smiles,
the biggest smile he can,
as he races down the snowy hill,
out he falls into the snow,
but he just brushes off,
and starts back up the hill.

Delicate crystals,
Falling from the sky
And resting on the ground,
Creating a different world,

A different outlook,
A different feeling.

Stars and lights of an opposite kind,
Twinkle clearly
In the silent, snowy night.

A different outlook,
A different feeling.

And when morning comes,
Cold bites at noses,
Fingers,
Toes,
Teasing cheeks
With a rosy complexion

A different outlook,
A different feeling.

Even still,
As the temperature gets colder,
Hearts get warmer.

A different outlook,
A different feeling.

But this time of giving,
And transformation is gone,
As soon as it began,
Springing into new life.

A different outlook,
A different feeling.

Winter Winter,
you won't get a splinter

During winter
you'll have lots of fun
such as sledding,
skiing, skating and all that fun

The snowflakes are falling
on the trees
no more leaves, that's too bad

We shall stick out our toungues
and catch the snowflakes
yum! yum! yum!

Now are you ready to sled
On your mark get set sled
oh no you fell
but at least your not dead

Now we should build
a snowman instead

But Oh no! It fell down
We will all go to the pond
and skate along the ice

But you can't go by yourself
you need a playmate

Oh no you fell
you better go inside

november 20 2008

This past I weekend I had gone to New Jersey and back. During this drive I had done a lot of things. On the way there it was snowing very heavily and I had seen at least 10 cars off the road most just slid into the snow bank. Though the last car I saw we stopped for because it had rolled down a big hill down the highway. Once stopped we asked if they were alright they said ya. I said what happened he said that they were going down the hill all fine then they hit ice so they lay on the brakes and then locked up the brakes. When this happened the wheel was turned and the wheel caught and it flipped over. I was surprised that they had no injuries and that they were fine. So once they were helped by the authorities we started going again and made it to New Jersey with out any more major events. So there I visited my grandparents and everything was al normal since the crash!

winter is the best time of year. there are a ton of things that i love about winter. hockey which is my favorite sport takes place during the winter, I love to snowmobile, and snowboard, snow ball fights are always fun. winter has its bad things also. it is always cold so u have a limite of what u can wear. the roads can be horrible, i accually flipped my car this year during a big snow storm that we had. i cant play alot of the sports that i also play like frisbee, and lacrosse. but i believe that there are more pros than cons when i comes to winter. lots of people have there season that they like best and my faorite season is winter.

'Twas the morning of Christmas eve
The excitement was thick
Our family was all together
The clock afraid to tick

The smell of cookies in the air
Melted snow on the floor
The kids were all giddy, waiting
Eager hands by the door

Presents were wrapped, shiny and slick
Most with huge shiny bows
As he spotted one with his name
Grandpa smiled, then he rose

He made his way to the grand tree
He poked and he prodded
His hands not finding what they need
And then he just nodded

He still tried to seem happy
Though as sad as he was
Then everyone got real quiet
Unseen bells started to buzz.

Twas the night before christmas, and all through my house,
not a creature was stirring, I just killed the dang mouse
as i watched the stuffed bear standing next to the tree
I sat down in my chair and i smiled with glee
i had set up the traps over by the stuffed bear
in the hopes that old saint nick might venture right there
for so long he'd given me nothing but coal
buy the gram, by the pound, by the plate, by the bowl
but tonight would be different, this time he would see
if he won't give them, i'll take them, those presents for me
as i took the last blade and i put it in place,
a dark evil smile just covered my face
as i went off to bed and i fell fast asleep
i dreamt of the toys that tomorrow i'd reap
when up on the roof there arose such a noise
i knew, twas the fat man, up there with his toys
when he came down the chimney, a smoke bomb went of
he crawled out of the stove with a wheeze and a cough.
"well hello there," i said with a bat in my hand Read more »

by Katarina Keating
Grade 5
Browns River Middle School

Red sled, I am
Live in a shed, I do
Shed door swings open, it does
Kid brings me to hill, he does
Jumps on me, that kid does
Wild ride to give him, I will
Kid pushing off, he is
Pick up speed, make wild curves, I do
Kid laughing, shrieking with glee, he is
At the foot of the hill, flip over, I do
Kid is laughing, tumbling in the snow, he is
Again and again, we do it
Kid goes in for hot cocoa, he does
Life is good, it is

SNOW 10 FEET DEEP
NEVER STOP RIDING
ON A SNOWBOARD
WINTER SNOW

BROKEN ARM
OVER THE BEST SUBSTANCE IN THE WORLD
AIR TIME
REDICULOSLY LONG RAIL
DISLOCATION
IN THE CHAIR LIFT
NEVER SLOW DOWN
GOING TO THE EMERGANCY ROOM

SNOW 10 FEET DEEP
NEVER STOP RIDING
ON A SNOWBOARD
WINTER SNOW

BROKEN ARM
OVER THE BEST SUBSTANCE IN THE WORLD
AIR TIME
REDICULOSLY LONG RAIL
DISLOCATION
IN THE CHAIR LIFT
NEVER SLOW DOWN
GOING TO THE EMERGANCY ROOM

The Red Car
By Lexus Forkas
“What do you think Santa is gunna bring you this Christmas, Johnny?” 6-year-old Sam asked, waiting keenly for Johnny’s answer.
“I think he’s gunna give me that shinny red car I’ve always wanted. My momma said she would try to give it to me for Christmas, before she went away. And I have been saving up for it since I was 5 ½.” When Johnny was almost done his sentence, he started to cry.
“It’s ok Johnny, we all miss our mommy’s and daddy’s.” Sam replied while patting Johnny softly on his back. “But we all know that Santa will give us a nice home, with new mommies and daddies.” Read more »

The first thing that I suspect would come to any Vermonter’s mind when they think of life in our beautiful green state is cold. Three of the four seasons are cold. And I can’t say that summer here is an especially hot affair, either. The trees, the people, and the animals are quite well adapted to the chilliness, but as a newcomer, the first encounter with our sub-zero temperatures is definitely a wake-up call. Read more »

Winter,
Shining white flakes of snow fall,
Glistening on my eyelashes,
The bitter cold wind whips my face,
But still a warm feeling spreads inside me,
The deer prance among the snow,
Playing,
Squirrels chitter among the trees,
Talking,
Birds sing their song of happiness,
Joyful that they are here,
In this delightful,
Swirling,
Wonderland of snow,
Together,
Not worrying about tomorrow,
Or the day after,
Or next Tuesday,
This is my winter dream,
Togetherness,
Happiness,
And Love.

Editor's Note: This piece will be presented at the Winter Tales productions of Vermont Stage Company, Dec 3-7 at FlynnSpace. Reading on this podcast and during the performance is Liz Gilbert, an 8th grade actress at U-32. To hear all the Winter Tales podcasts as they will sound at the shows, click here.

Snowflake

By Gretchen Tarrant
Mater Christi School, Grade 8

Swirling, twirling gently down
I hope it never hits the ground
Snowflakes represent to me
A different faith entirely
Falling from thousands of feet above
Gliding safely to my glove
It’s a glorious journey to make
But to survive it's willing to make mistakes
It has to grow just right
So it won’t get lost in the night
Somehow it still floats softly down
Earth, it seems to say, should do us proud Read more »

Winter. What do you think of when you hear the word winter? Maybe you think of skiing, or snowball fights, or even hot chocolate? Everybody’s idea of winter is different. For me, when I hear the word winter, I think of what everything looked like during the first winter after I moved here.

It was a normal October weekend. I was sitting in my family’s living room in front of the wood pellet stove trying to warm my cold feet up with the warmth from the fire. My family’s house was unusually quiet. I was looking into the mesmerizing flame of our wood pellet stove when my dad called out excitedly. Read more »

Christmas Day

I like winter because I like Christmas. I get a lot of presents on Christmas day because my Mom and Dad and Santa all give me a lot of presents on Christmas. Also, my family goes out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also, we go to the mall and we go to my Nana’s house the day after Christmas. My cousins are there and also my aunts and uncles are there. We get presents there also. We eat pie and chocolate chip muffins. And that’s what happens on Christmas.

Snow

By Maia Hendrickson
Brewster Pierce Memorial School, Grade 4

I love the snow
Yes, I love the snow
Not a place with snow
that I don't go
Snow in my hair
Snow everywhere
Sledding down hills
Skiing with skill
Making a snowman
Watching the weatherman
Saying "snow's a comin' soon!"

Waking Up

By Gabriel P. Albright
Mount Mansfield Union High School, Grade 12

Because
It was vacation and
Because
We were all together again and
because it snowed for the first time this year we
went outside. Oblivious to
Chill frost's breath in
Our pink ears and
Icy bundles of soft snow in
Our naked palms and
Frozen fingers. We
Slid
In wet sneakers and
Rolled
In white-powdered sweatshirts and
Got as snowy as we could so that
Our rosy cheeks and
Watering eyes
Could have been just as much
from the snow
as from our joy.

Snow, pristine and white
Untouched by humans
The tiny ice crystals
Glittering in the sunlight
The trees, the bushes, the yellowed grass
All just white outlines in a similar landscape
One man sitting
One man enjoying winter
Footsteps, crunching through the snow
A flash of silver
Red liquid staining the white powder
One devastated family
Grief, sorrow, anguish tears

“Amanda!” her father called. “Are you ready to go outside?”

“Almost Daddy!” she called from her bed room. She had been looking
forward to this for weeks.

As she dressed hurriedly into her snow suit,
she could hear her dog barking outside already playing in the snow. That
dog, that beautiful collie, went by the name of Lassie. Amanda had named
her only a while ago because of the obsession she had over the movie
Lassie. What a wonderful movie that was.

By the time she reached the door to the backyard, she looked ridiculous.
She was dressed in a very snug, pink, puffy snow suit, pink clonking boots,
and, of course, pink mittens. She must have looked cute at the age of
three, but this outfit was very annoying to her because it restricted her
ability to move like a normal person.

So she started to waddle through the thick powdery snow. Beginning to feel
like an obese penguin, she suddenly felt bad for those tubby penguins she Read more »

Soaring Down the Mountain

By Ursula Casey
Brattleboro Area Middle School, Grade 8

The gears slowly turn on the rusty wheels of the chair lift. It’s moving so slowly that it seems as if the old chair will never reach the top of the hill. I carefully get off, watching the tips of my skis. Although I’ve been getting on and off lifts for almost ten years, I’ll always be a klutz and I fall very often. There’s nothing to stop my clumsiness.

As I set off down the beginning of the slope I think about my first time coming up to the top of the mountain. I was only five or six, and it took a lot of guts for me to ski down from the very top. I start down the first part of the trail, which by now is a long swooping slope with big twists and turns. I speed through it with wide carving turns like a racer running a slalom course. Nothing can stop me now. I love turning like this. It’s fast and smooth, and sometimes the speed makes me feel like I’m flying. Read more »

Editor's Note: This piece will be presented at the Winter Tales productions of Vermont Stage Company, Dec 3-7 at FlynnSpace. Reading on this podcast and during the performance is Liz Gilbert, an 8th grade actress at U-32. To hear all the Winter Tales podcasts as they will sound at the shows, click here.

Winter

By Addy Campbell
Mt. Abraham Union High School, Grade 7 Read more »

Walking, as i gaze down, I notice my feet are a huge blanket of snow.
Every pebble of snow, drifting to the other 3 inche mounds of a silky, white, cold blanket. Single scetchings of grass ly waiting desperately for winter to fade away. My nose feeling as if it was going to burst into microscopic ice crystals. As i reach for my hood all i feel in my hand is a thick blanket of snow. It soon starts dribbling down under my woolen sleave, plastering my soft skin with a cold piercing sting. Every single part of my body, acheing of pain, freezing, numb, and barley concious. I gaze back up seeing whats ahead, nothing but thousands of miles ahead of me. As a child i used to think that Jack frost was real, painting everyones windows with a detailed design, when told otherwise, i lost my first hero.

The Last Snowflake

By Samantha Bonasera
Chelsea Public School, Grade 12

I was in fourth grade the day I saw a true snowflake. The white crystal was like a diamond ring. With the sparkle and shine, the beauty of its shape, it was truly breathtaking. My teacher warned us that we would only be able to see this magnificent part of nature for a quick second. She was right. Once the snowflake hit the glass rectangle plate and was placed on the light, it slowly melted away. I tried my hardest to catch as many snowflakes as possible, but the first one I caught almost managed to melt away by the time I caught my fifth one. During the whole time the other students were looking at their snowflakes I was trying to catch the biggest one. Looking at the sky, a few caught my eye, and then my nose and my lips. I soon found myself dancing in the road trying to catch as many of the snowflakes in my mouth instead of on the plate. Read more »

Frost Bite

By Katie Cooper
Chelsea Public School, Grade 11

I stand peering through the crack of the wooden door. I watch my ssiter Jessica and her friend Emily prance around the room, giggling and talking. I long to play with them. But I am the younger sister; she doesn't want me interfering with their time. I lean against the door and it gives way. I tumble onto the floor in front of them and they shoot death stares straight at me.

"Get out loser!" they both screech in unison.

Tears fill my little eyes and I run out of the room. I sit in my room for most of the night, listening to the giddy talking from the two older girls. My eyes begin to close and I drift off to sleep. The next morning I wake up and go downstairs. The older girls are already at the table eating pancakes. I climb into my chair and desperately reach for the steaming plate of pancakes in the middle of the table. A hand quickly reaches out and pushes the pancakes farther out of my reach. Read more »

The First Ride of the Year

By Emma Blanchard
Chelsea Public School, Grade 11 Read more »

The Warmth Hidden in Winter

By Rebecca White
Hartford High School, Grade 9

It's strange how rain is loud and thundering,
while snow is so peaceful and subversive.

They are the almost opposite of each other,
but they are made up of the same.

Snow just floats, with big coated puffs delicate and light.

Like a breath of air caught and frozen.

That is the true secret of winter, the hidden warmth drifting out of the clouds.

Like a hush reverberating across the world.
Snow and Rain. Yin and Yang.

Rain deep, mysterious, only to quiet with harsh cries.
Snow thoughtful and kind, light, open and caring.
A hitting hand and an open palm.

How can the secret of warmth be so overlooked, while the bluntness of rain is so widely recognized?

Now that is the a winter tale to be told.

Winter Times

By Danza Rodrigues
Woodstock Union High School, Grade 10

Cold winter chills
Sledding down hills

Snow ball fights
Beautiful sights

Sleigh rides
My the time flies

Skiing down mountains
Chocolate fudge fountains

That is how I see my winter days go by!

In such a cozy country house
Which was as quiet as a mouse
Lived a mom, a dad and two kids
Plus two small babies still in cribs.
And one cold snowy winter morn
The kids got ready for the storm.
They both did hope for snow (much more)
And they scrambled right to the door.
But so the kids would not drop dead
The parents approached them and said,
"Dress warmly so you won't catch cold;
Just go and follow as you're told."
Down jackets kept them nice and warm
And then they played in the snowstorm.
Soon they did come across Frosty
The Snowman who shouted with glee!
Then Frosty with the kids went and
Took a sleigh ride around the bend.
They zipped and zoomed right down the hill.
The sled moved fast like a windmill.
The wind did whoosh; it blew so quick
Frosty did crash with Jane and Dick.
But they were happy, oh yes, oh
And they stopped sledding and ate snow.
Shiv'ring, the kids ran inside, then
Stripped off wet clothes, wet boots and when
The got hot cocoa in a mug Read more »

Editor's Note: This piece will be presented at the Winter Tales productions of Vermont Stage Company, Dec 3-7 at FlynnSpace. Reading on this podcast and during the performance is Liz Gilbert, an 8th grade actress at U-32.

Snow

By Haley Rae Harder
Renaissance School, Grade 5

Snow falls on my
window pane. The
soft thumping of
my brother going
downstairs fills
my ears. I sit
in bed and listen
to the birds singing
their morning song
and I wish that I
would never grow older
than I am, and that
time would stay still.