Christmas Lights

The switching on of festive lights in towns and villages across the land announces the fact that Christmas is approaching. It also marks the start of real winter.In this selection of ten specially commissioned poems by leading contemporary poets, we find light in all its many shapes and forms - from the ‘glittering heart’ of Paris in December to the glint of a skater’s boot on a frozen lake or the sugary shine of a child’s candy cane. And worlds away from the hubbub and dazzle, there’s the silent watcher at the window who:“… sits on the low sill, half-dreaming, watching the lights churnover the hills, whisky gold in her glass.”from ‘Northern lights’ by Nancy CampbellThese poems will brighten even the darkest of winter nights with moments of humour, delight and lasting beauty.