Poetry has long been an interest for Grace Bell, Great Bend. She enjoys both reading and writing poetry, and as a 14-year member of the Kansas Authors Club, she has entered several poems in contests over the years. Most recently, her poem “Foggy Frost” was picked as the top entry in the Great Bend Tree Board’s Poet-Tree contest which concluded Monday, April 20.
Poetry has provided Bell with a way to express how she feels about life’s ups and downs. For years, Bell lived in the country north of Great Bend, but moved into town after her husband passed away about seven years ago. Since then, she has observed the trees in her new yard throughout the seasons, and they’ve served as the inspiration for this latest poem.
“I like to write about nature, trees, sunsets, and also events in my family as well,” Bell told the Great Bend Tribune in a telephone interview earlier this week.
The Tree Board contest invited participants to enter a poem in the following categories: haiku, sonnet, limerick, couplet, free verse or ode. As the winner, Bell will receive $50 Great Bend Chamber Bucks from the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce.
“The reward is nice, but writing the poem was its own reward,” Bell said.
Foggy Frost
By Grace Bell
When the cold snowy day slides into the night,
in floats the gray fog thick, silent, such a fright!
It creeps over the ground and thru the trees,
across the roadways without a breeze,
settling in for the night while the frozen earth sleeps.
Early in the morning when it’s just getting light,
the trees and fences are a glorious sight.
As the hugh pink sun rises up from the ground
the world outside shines all around.
The fog doesn’t linger, it’s turned into frost,
sticks on trees, rooftops, and over the ground.
Silent and quiet all around.
The trees have waited all thru the night
for dawn to display them in their lacy white.
As the sun rises higher in a background of blue
the trees blaze like white fire, beautiful to view.
What an amazing sight....
Gray fog turned into sparkly white.
