Issue 1.25 ~ poems to light the dark nights
poems to light the dark nights
Welcome to
WHISPERshout Poetry Magazine, Issue 1.25, January 2025
Happy New Year! Here you’ll find new original poems by kids ages 4-12, often with accompanying artwork and sometimes photos. If you’re a kid who writes poems, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK, TOO… and we encourage every reader to comment on the magazine down below!
This month’s issue features poems by 4th graders, all from the same class in a Title I school in Sacramento, CA. Each poem explores one or more kinds of light we humans use to light the dark, especially during the time of year when days are short and nights are long. In the Northern Hemisphere, that’s December.
Now that we’re halfway between the Winter Solstice (the shortest day of the year) and the Spring Equinox (when daylight hours equal nightdark hours) it’s nice to think that it’s getting brighter outside—even if it’s still cold! Enjoy…
“Lovely icicles in the night” by Londyn O.
This sharp poem by Londyn is like a long /i/ song about the different feelings one image can bring. Be sure to say this one out loud. Actually, read them ALL out loud! That’s what poetry is for.
“Fireplace” by Lindsay, 4th grade
Don’t you love how Lindsay writes and speaks to the fire, to the comforting fireplace? “Dear fireplace, you can bring up any sad place…”
“flash light” by Alex H., 4th grade
A “red cold fog” is an unusual place to find yourself, and maybe even scarier than a black night. Just make sure that, like Alex, you have your flashlight with its “big yellow beam.”
“Star shining” by Mikaela L., 4th grade
Star on the tree, star in the sky, star in the house, tree in the house…In this poem Mikaela is practicing where to put the periods. Next time you write a poem, move the punctuation around and see how it changes the poem.
“Bright Fire” by Dayton P., 4th grade
Here Dayton the poet celebrates fire and the people who appreciate it, speaking to both. He also shows off his rhyming skill, which is tough to do well.
“Icicles bright up and the snow drops” by Mia O - 4th grade
This short poem has so much action! Glow and drip, twirl and drop—like a snow-and-icicle show. Brava, Mia!
“The changing moon” by Karmen T., 4th grade
Reading this poem feels a little like BEING a little cloud, swishing around with the stars and the moon in the sky—it’s hard to stay in one place with Karmen’s poetry wind blowing!
“The Moon” by Robert F., 4th grade
Here Robert includes both some scientific language (timelapse and eclipse) and some more fanciful images (mushroom and balloon) to create a poem that connects two ways of thinking: factual and imaginative. Poetry is REALLY good for stretching our minds like that!
“The blue sky” by Aiden Y., 4th grade
Just look at this world that Aiden has created! It has day and night, moon and sun, snow and stars, holiday lights and blue sky, all happening at the same time! We could step right in…
“The Light” by Quinn A., 4th grade
The carolers at the heart of this poem seem to be walking as they sing— “Along the snow, footsteps are marked”—and maybe the carol they’re singing is this very one!
“Glowing icicles” by Alina M., 4th grade
These icicle poems are like a family of triplets—they look very similar, but each one is different. This one ends with Alina’s great line “cold blue teeth”!
“Snowing rocks” by Cesar G., 4th grade
Go on, say it can’t be snowing rocks—but what are snowflakes but tiny, tiny rocks of frozen water? In this poem Cesar is using English in a way that makes us really notice what each word could mean. Very cool!
“Christmas light” by Niko, 4th grade
Both Niko’s painting and poem bring the happy and joy from top to bottom, popping against the dark background!
“Flashlights sight” by Violet J., 4th grade
Violet’s poem sounds a bit like a long beam of light pouring out of a flashlight, streaming, streaming, streaming down a dark path until you can’t see it anymore…
“Beautiful Night” by Elyanna O., 4th grade
Don’t you love the way that Elyanna hung her words on a tree like a string of lights?
“calm moon” by Ella T., 4th grade
This painting is not by Ella—she was absent for that project—but with her rhythmic words she paints a feeling of calm that feels real enough to touch.
So many different ways to use the same words—bright, light, stars, moon, fire, shine…. Which poem reached out to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below! Look for our next issue featuring ekphrastic poems by 6th graders soon, and remember—ANY kid aged 4-12 can submit. Click the button below to get started.
Thanks for reading!
Heidi Mordhorst, Teaching Editor
If you are a teacher developing a poetry habit in your classroom, try using an issue of WHISPERshout Magazine as your lesson!
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