A Very British Blizzard

They said we’d have snow and, by God, they were right
I’m told that it came down just after midnight
But systems in place and procedures pre-planned 
Meant our society could make a stand

They’ve closed all the schools and they’ve cancelled the trains
They’ve banned all the buses from tight country lanes
And all the armed forces are still on standby
While shops have toboggans piled up to the sky

Motorbike riders keep feet near the ground
For fear that black ice they can’t see spins them round
The soup kitchens sprang into life at great speed
So hungry and half frozen people can feed

The snowploughs have been out on duty all night 
People took comfort at that very sight
And some will take refuge in local church halls
So we’ll be prepared when that second flake falls
Copyright © | Year Posted 2024


Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Date: 11/27/2024 10:52:00 PM
We're such drama queens, health and safety have a field day. The only time we've had real snow was in '63. It came over the top of my wellies, I was 7. But everyone just got on with it, I have to laugh when I go to Aldi and they've always got snow goggles or something to do with skiing. Tom
Login to Reply
Flood Avatar
Terry Flood
Date: 12/1/2024 11:56:00 AM
Not for much longer, Tom. They’ll be stacking up the Easter eggs before we know it.
Date: 11/26/2024 12:08:00 PM
This is so great, Terry! "That second flake falls!" What a wonderful ending. You pulled me into your poetic narrative then left me holding my sides laughing! Well done. I can relate! When the first flake fell in the Pacific Northwest, everyone packed up their car and headed home early as schools and businesses closed and we looked forward to an evening of sledding and a pot of warm chili! LOVE THIS! Thank you for the laughter, memories and joy! A Fav! Cheers for snow shovels and blessings!
Login to Reply
Flood Avatar
Terry Flood
Date: 11/26/2024 3:38:00 PM
Hey, Sam. Okay, I confess; we got a thin covering of snow this time. My drive is very long and sloping. If we ever get enough snow it would be a great toboggan run… except for a fairly sharp bend near the bottom, which, if missed, would acquaint one with a wire mesh fence ;-)
Date: 11/26/2024 3:13:00 AM
lol! A fun poem that captures the mood there I take it. They panic in North Carolina/ USA too but not so much in the North like New York. Enjoyed reading!
Login to Reply
Flood Avatar
Terry Flood
Date: 11/26/2024 3:34:00 PM
I honestly thought it was a British thing. Seems we’re all terrified that the shops will have no bread on the shelves.
Date: 11/25/2024 1:25:00 PM
dont paniccccc dont panicccc , gee the sign of one flake and there are more human snowflakes than natural ones. we had hail, bad wind ( tis the sprouts season though) ferries cancelled and planes cos of the storm but gee it was 1 day. that said many places were flooded i saw especially in Ireland - we got off lightly with the impending 'blizzard; hugs jan xx
Login to Reply
Flood Avatar
Terry Flood
Date: 11/26/2024 3:30:00 PM
All those floods look awful… something to really worry about. The snow we had down here barely covered the ground, and still the schools were closed.
Date: 11/25/2024 6:29:00 AM
Hi Terry, Let me guess... 1cm of snow caused all this? Had a good chuckle at your second and last stanzas. I have family who live in the UK and know all about what happens when a light dusting of snow falls there. Lol... I tell them come live in Canada ;-) I enjoyed reading your British Blizzard humour this morning
Login to Reply
Flood Avatar
Terry Flood
Date: 11/26/2024 3:24:00 PM
1cm came pretty damned close, Anne. Thing is, it takes far less than that for the panic to set in. Glad you enjoyed. Terry
Date: 11/23/2024 12:21:00 PM
Dear Terry, I think you brilliantly captured the chaos and camaraderie that a snowstorm brings. I love how you blend humor creating a sense of community amidst the storm. A delightful piece! Autumn Blessings, My Dear Friend, Daniel
Login to Reply
Flood Avatar
Terry Flood
Date: 11/24/2024 3:46:00 PM
Thanks, Daniel. Britain is hopeless with weather ‘events’. You only have to say ‘snow’ and we come to a standstill ;-)
Date: 11/23/2024 11:26:00 AM
Ha! Sounds just like what happens here, Terry! Loved your build-up to the perfect ending…
Login to Reply
Flood Avatar
Terry Flood
Date: 11/24/2024 3:50:00 PM
Thanks, Ilene. We had a few millimetres of snow, which by day two was slush. I bet they were queuing around the block for bread and milk ;-)
Date: 11/23/2024 3:05:00 AM
LOL! Love your last line. It seems life stops when it snows today. Snow..that stuff that’s been falling on humans in this country for over 780,000 years. Cheers - Gary
Login to Reply
Flood Avatar
Terry Flood
Date: 11/24/2024 3:53:00 PM
You’re about right, Gary. I wonder what the railways would do if we had leaves on the track AND the wrong kind of snow!
Date: 11/22/2024 6:36:00 PM
Bloody cold is it?
Login to Reply
Flood Avatar
Terry Flood
Date: 11/24/2024 3:54:00 PM
F…F…F…Fairly ;-)
Date: 11/22/2024 3:48:00 PM
Love this!
Login to Reply
Flood Avatar
Terry Flood
Date: 11/22/2024 3:54:00 PM
Thanks, Kim. Actually we’ve just had at least a centimetre of snow… but we battled through it and waddya know… we survived the ordeal. We British are such bulldogs. Come on Putin… do your worst ;-) Ha ha… I have no idea how we’d cope if we got proper snow, say, Canada style!
Get a Premium Membership
Get more exposure for your poetry and more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Reflection on the Important Things

Member Area

My Admin
Profile and Settings
Edit My Poems
Edit My Quotes
Edit My Short Stories
Edit My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder

Soup Social

Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us

Member Poems

Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread

Member Poets

Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest

Famous Poems

Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100

Famous Poets

Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War

Poetry Resources

Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter