The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

December

and the leafless trees stand quiet
in a sombre winter way,
allowing fir and pine and spruce
to have their glory-day.
This is their season to impress
in forest green and Christmas dress.

No tinsel, no synthetic spray,
since nature rimes the natural way.
No baubles swing, for pine cones cling
in queenly clusters or a single king
to hoary branches, finger-frilled,
where crossbills perch to eat their fill.

No lights adorn these evergreens.
A lantern moon will share her beams
and, when the moon is resting late,
the stars will compensate.
No carol singers to be found.
Instead, the forest choir comes round.

While birds rehearse at dusk and dawn,
the fir trees add a whispered song.
Come Christmas Eve, they celebrate
and dedicate their carols to
all Christmas trees in forest green -
and to the memory of a scene
from long ago: a special night,
when angels, bathed in heavenly light,
brought long-awaited news to earth
of their Creator’s sacred birth.

About the Writer


Rhona Stephens

Rhona Stephens grew up in Northern Ireland and now lives in Scotland. She loves words and music, living in the country and visiting the coast, especially the north coast of Ireland. You can find her poems for children in Tyger Tyger, The Toy, Parakeet, Dirigible Balloon, PaperBound and Charles Causley Trust.