Blizzard

“Alphabet Song” by Linda Pastan (2006)

Like “Blizzard,” this poem compares nature and the human mind. Coincidentally, it also compares snow to an alphabet, but this speaker focuses more directly on the movement of the human mind.

“Wind Chill” by Linda Pastan (2002)

This is a more typical sample of Pastan’s poems and describes a winter scene, comparing the snow and ice to a number of other objects. Unlike “Blizzard,” this poem has a gloomy tone, making the winter seem like a time of stasis. It ends with the observation that the leaves are stuck in their “coffins of ice” (Line 14).

“Sometimes in Winter” by Linda Pastan (1989)

This is another one of Pastan’s winter poems and could also be classified as Confessional. It expresses some ambivalence about being a mother, and some regrets about not being able to skate as freely and lightly as others do.

“Linda Pastan: The Secret Giver” by Plume Poetry (2016)

In this interview, Pastan discusses the way nature influences her poetry. She describes living on six acres of property in the woods of Maryland and how being surrounded by nature can be both peaceful and isolating.