Frozen Side of The Sun

On the frozen side of the sun lies Svalbard.
A barren, treeless stretch of land
Buried beneath snow and stillness.
Here, the cold doesn’t just bite;
It consumes.

The whirlwind air scrapes skin with surgical precision.
For months each year, the sun abandons the sky.
Svalbard drifts beneath a vaulted night.
Darkness bleeds through permafrost,
Settling in the earth’s frozen marrow.

But beneath this ice-scarred wilderness,
Where avalanche and ash calcify,
A vault lies hidden deep in the mountain’s underbelly.
It cradles the future;
A womb of waiting seeds,
Asleep in rows of glass and steel.
Hope, suspended in time.
In this tomb of preservation,
Life isn’t gone.
Just waiting with a promise of rebirth.

And when the sun returns,
Brushing marigold hues across glistening glaciers
Like a kiss upon Snow-White's lips,
Those seeds will stir with life.
They will remember the sun.
They will rise.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2025

Poem

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Lane Avatar
May 6, 2025 at 6:06 AM
Billie, your lines leave nothing to the imagination of such a chilling place. The vaulted night tells me there is no end to the darkness and yet, you tell of the rebirth of warmth. How and when can the vault of hope be opened? Your answer of the sun's return as a kiss upon cold lips... that will melt ice and stir life within any seed. Your poetry spills warmth on pages, Billie.
Jama Avatar
May 6, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Lin, I'm so glad the imagery and message resonated with you. My poem was inspired by the real Global Seed Vault in Svalbard—built deep in Arctic permafrost to preserve the world’s seeds in case of catastrophe. A symbol of hope, resting in the cold, waiting for the sun to return—just like the poem’s ending.
Empress Avatar
May 6, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Sis, thank you for this insightful and very descriptive poem which made me aware of where this place is located, and its absolutely stunning! I really love the way youv painted imagery, frozen yet theres so much soul in what youv delivered in such a poetic manner! I especially love the lines "And when the sun returns, Brushing marigold hues across glistening glaciers" wow! The imagery there , i can see through those lines! I love the flow too of this and how youv used the prompt here! A fave it is! Best wishes for the contest! Sending you light always
Jama Avatar
May 6, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Thanks sis. Your words uplift me. I wrote about Svalbard a Norwegian territory between mainland Norway and the Arctic. I actually discovered it through Cecilia Blomdahl, a YouTuber whose videos capture both its stunning beauty and brutal cold. I'm fascinated by it and so tempted to visit… though I know my ancestors are cussing me out, fully aware I can’t handle the cold. Sending you the same your always.
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