Ten Poems about Weather

The weather is always a good topic of conversation, especially if we don’t know the other person very well. Wherever we are on the planet we can’t help noticing when it’s too hot or too cold or something in between. In these ten poems we encounter everything from drought to a hurricane, taking in fog, snow and spring sunshine on the way. It goes without saying that there is also more than enough rain. The poems don’t merely describe weather; they also capture how it can induce in us particular feelings and states of mind. In one poem, rain creates a very particular atmosphere: “I love the privacy of rain, the way it makes things happen on verandahs, under canopies or in the shelter of trees…” from ‘Privacy of rain’ by Helen Dunmore The poems are as varied as weather itself, taking us through the changing seasons and relishing the inevitable surprises that come along the way. Edited by poet Graham Mort who takes pleasure in the ever-changing skies of England’s North-West. Poems by Emily Brontë, John Clar