LYRICAL LANGUAGE LAB
1ST ANNUAL RHYMING POETRY CONTEST *for kidlit
THEME: Winter Wanderings – Poems about Nature
silent snow
field of bright,
glistening, glacial
silent white
branches, bare,
boldly hold
weighted blankets,
callous, cold
I stand, noiseless…
time stands, still…
breathing lingers
in the chill
booted step
crunchy, slow…
breaks the sound of
silent snow
© 2024 Pamela Moritz
Pamela Moritz grew up reading Shel Silverstein and knew she wanted to be just like him – only not quite so bald. She is the author of two rhyming picture books, the award-winning If I Lived with Noah and If I Swam with Jonah, and she’s written two other picture books in prose. Pam has been an authlete in the Madness Poetry competition and is a member of Poets’ Garage.
We loved the moment of mindfulness and anticipation that the poet created with this (almost) silent scene. The enjambment in the first stanza deftly supports the image of a vast, white field stretching before us, while the parallel structure of “I stand, noiseless… / time stands, still…” (with those commas for well-placed breaths) gives the narrator and nature a suspended moment together, both waiting … for what? The poem brought us into a single, sensory hold in time and kept us there right through to the end until that booted step–the anticipation–broke the moment and we could move on. A deceptively simple and powerful poem.
We race along the river ice
Past silent, moonlit plains,
Past lonely castles perched on crags
And frosted mountain chains,
To frozen fields of blue-tinged snow
With ice sheets stretching wide,
Where dancing fires festoon the sky
And colours swoop and glide.
We sprint along at such a speed
Our breath is whipped away,
And turns to tinkling crystals
As we pirouette and play…
We swooshhh into the shadows
And we swishhh into the light –
Our blades weave complex patterns
As we skate into the night.
© 2024 Claire Lewis
Claire writes and illustrates poems, picture books, and middle-grade fiction and works for her local, not-for-profit bookshop. She lives in Devon in the UK and loves exploring the wild landscapes of nearby Dartmoor with her husband, sons, and charmingly disobedient border terrier. Her work has appeared in The Toy, Little Thoughts Press, Paperbound Magazine, Tyger Tyger Magazine and The Dirigible Balloon. Her debut picture book, The Go Away Rain Dance, will be published by HB Publishing in February 2026.
Web: claireflewis.com
IG: @claire_f_lewis
Bluesky: @clairelewiswrites.bsky.social
X: @ClaireFLewis
This poem is expertly packed with vivid imagery and movement, taking the reader on a breathless nighttime adventure through a landscape that is both refreshing and exotic. We loved the mood created by the juxtaposition of the narrator’s energy and speed and the stillness of the “silent, moonlit plains” and “lonely castles.” The poet’s use of sound and rhythm (“we swooshhh into the shadows / And we swishhh into the light”) keeps the momentum going until we are left behind to watch as the skaters disappear into the night. We can almost hear the slice of their blades on the ice.
Begin with a meadow, barren and brown
Add wind with a blustery bite
Stir in a flurry of feathery flakes
Set the mixture aside overnight
After the field has been fluffily frosted,
add cool decorations like these—
a host of snow angels
a giant snow fort
a pair of stout snowmen on skis
Top with a cardinal tweeting a tune
and a sprinkle of sparkling sun
~As long as it’s frozen, this recipe yields
unlimited servings of fun~
© 2024 Sara Matson
A former elementary teacher, Sara now writes for both an educational learning site and children’s magazines. She attributes her recent passion for writing in rhyme to Renée’s Lyrical Language Lab, which she completed in 2022. Sara lives in Minnesota, where cardinals brighten the winter landscape and multiple clothing layers are needed for her daily winter walks.
Web: saramatson.com
IG: @SaraMatsonWrites
We say this recipe mixes up a perfect blend of ingredients for a clever, kid-friendly poem! From the evocative imagery of “fluffily frosted” fields to the hearty dollops of rhyme and alliteration (“blustery bite” and “Stir in a flurry of feathery flakes”) to the lilting rhythm, Sara has created a read-aloud moment sure to add a “sprinkle of sparkling sun” to any kid’s day. And those last two lines? Chef’s kiss!
(alphabetical)
© 2025 Scott Thompson
Scott loves truthful-yet-hope-filled writing that displays the inherent potential of people and the world. His debut picture book—Shirley Combs Mysteries: The Adventure of the Missing Prize—will be published in Autumn 2025, and he is currently revising his first MG novel. Scott is an Optometrist, a father to three spirited children, and a writer. He hails from the North East of England.
FB: Scott Thomson
IG: @scott.thomson.author
Bluesky: @scotttauthor.bsky.social
Gripping talons, furry paws,
prancing hooves, and curvy claws—
each leap and tiptoe leaves a trace
to show who’s passing through this place.
Foxes frisk and weasels creep,
beavers frolic by the creek,
badgers caper, bobcats pounce,
muskrats totter, rabbits bounce.
Coyotes bound and skid and lope
from chilly ridge to frosty slope.
Moles and chipmunks, voles and mice
kick up little bits of ice.
And look! You scatter footprints, too!
Little boots that follow you
on snow-capped paths through field and wood
all around your neighborhood.
© 2024 Susan Blackaby
Susan is an Oregon children’s book author and winner of the 2011 Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry. Dabbling across genres for children is familiar ground, but she also writes poetry for the adult market and was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize—same noggin, different hat.
IG: @suzjb
A skim of ice from winter’s wand
spreads across the moonlit pond
Painted turtle sinks her head
deep into a muddy bed
Frog cree-OAKs! a last goodnight,
finds a rock, and curls up tight
Bass’s tail fin starts to slow
with the current’s lulling flow
Water boatman tucks his legs,
and settles in the silty dregs
Snow unfurls a quilt of cream
Beneath it all, the creatures dream
Soon they’ll glide, hop, and sing
But first, they’ll rest until the spring
© 2024 Kelsey E. Gross
Kelsey is the author of the picture books Winter: A Solstice Story, Summer: A Solstice Story, and the forthcoming Fall: A Seasons Story, all illustrated by Renata Liwska and published by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman. She is also a graduate of the Lyrical Language Lab. Kelsey aims to write books and poems that inspire readers to take care of one another and the natural world.
Web: kelseyegross.com
IG: @kelseyegross
Bluesky: @kelseyegross.bsky.social
We keep each other close in dying light
while we wander snowbound wooded ways.
Silence spreads upon the gathering white
as fiery reds melt into darkening grays.
While we wander snowbound wooded ways,
frost glistens upon frozen, shrouded boughs.
As fiery reds melt into darkening grays,
we drift as far as muted light allows.
Frost glistens upon frozen, shrouded boughs.
A raven caws beneath the rising moon.
We drift as far as muted light allows.
Our wooded walk near end now, far too soon.
A raven caws beneath the rising moon.
Silence spreads upon the gathering white.
Our wooded walk near end now, far too soon.
We keep each other close in dying light.
© 2024 Helen Kemp Zax
Helen loves to write poetry, especially rhyming poems. Abrams Appleseed will publish two books in her Magical List Book series in 2025. She is co-winner of the 2021 YorkMix International Children’s Poetry Prize, 2018 MG Katherine Paterson Prize winner, and 2019 Finalist. The Lyrical Language Lab longlisted “The Last Haenyeo” in its Free Verse Contest. Her poetry appears in anthologies including The Sea’s Song and in magazines including Cricket, High Five, The Caterpillar, and The Dirigible Balloon. Helen lives in Washington, DC with her husband and Aussiedoodle Huckleberry Finn.
Web: helenzax.com
FB: helenkzax
IG: @helenkempzax
Bluesky: @helenzax.bsky.social
Snowflakes landing on my cheek
Slippy-slidy icy creek
Rabbit tracks I need to follow
Owl’s nest hidden in a hollow
Piles of snowballs still not tossed
Yummy berries laced with frost
Snow-packed paths for downhill sledding
Untouched trails for crunchy treading
Snow drifts higher than my chest
Orange sunset in the west
Silver moon on purple sky
(My top eleven reasons why)
© 2024 Helen Kemp Zax
Helen loves to write poetry, especially rhyming poems. Abrams Appleseed will publish two books in her Magical List Book series in 2025. She is co-winner of the 2021 YorkMix International Children’s Poetry Prize, 2018 MG Katherine Paterson Prize winner, and 2019 Finalist. The Lyrical Language Lab longlisted “The Last Haenyeo” in its Free Verse Contest. Her poetry appears in anthologies including The Sea’s Song and in magazines including Cricket, High Five, The Caterpillar, and The Dirigible Balloon. Helen lives in Washington, DC with her husband and Aussiedoodle Huckleberry Finn.
Web: helenzax.com
FB: helenkzax
IG: @helenkempzax
Bluesky: @helenzax.bsky.social
WINTER WOODLAND
the shady groves of summertime
where dappled sunshine glows
turn into laden treasure chests
in winter’s heavy snows
enwreathed with sparkling frosted gems
to match their icy gowns
the graceful branches bow their heads
accepting jeweled crowns
when freezing shafts of sunlight leak
through leafless maple shoots
they gleam upon a cold hard cache
of forest pirates’ loot
then springtime comes with greedy hands
to snatch the icy gems
replacing them with emerald leaves
on every tender stem
© 2024 Jenny Mattern
Jenny is a poet, a crafter of stories, and a cake-for-breakfast enthusiast who lives in Montana with her husband and children. Even though her house is nestled in a mountain valley where she is surrounded by the wonders of nature, Jenny prefers to be inside on winter days, sipping hot cocoa beside a crackling fire. Her poetry has been published in The Poetry Pea Anthology, Cold Moon Journal, and The Dirigible Balloon. She also writes middle-grade novels and is represented by Nicole Eisenbraun at Ginger Clark Literary Agency.
Web: jemattern.com
Bluesky: @jengelmattern.bsky.social
X: @JEngelMattern
Last night, a deer walked from the woods,
Onto a field of white.
She moved downhill with measured steps,
Beneath the full moon’s light.
A fox crept, silent, through the snow,
And pounced upon his prey,
Which scrambled to escape its fate,
And hop, hop, hopped away.
A barn owl spied with golden eyes,
An unsuspecting snack.
She left the imprint of her wings—
The scene of the attack.
And all the while, I was in bed…
So how was I to know?
I read it all this morning…
It was written in the snow.
© 2024 Chelsea Tornetto
Web: chelseatornetto.com
IG: @chelseatornetto
FB: MrsTornetto
X: @MrsTornetto
The judges chose your poems out of hundreds of entries!
