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The Heart of Winter
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The Heart of Winter
Written by: Luke Western
Performed by: Rebecca Stephens MBE
This poem explores the beauty and challenges of winter—how it feels for us, with its frosty mornings, bare landscapes, and comforting moments, and how it tests the resilience of the wildlife that endures it. At its heart is the robin, a fiery symbol of hope and perseverance during the harshest months.
I was inspired by National Robin Day and the work of Songbird Survival, who raise awareness of the struggles songbirds face during winter and provide practical tips for how we can help.
Robins, like many songbirds, rely on us to survive—especially during winter when food is scarce and shelter is limited. It’s shocking to think that a robin can lose up to 10% of its body weight in one cold night. And with the UK having lost 50% of its hedgerows since the 1950s, these little birds have fewer places to find food and safety.
Rebecca Stephens MBE—mountaineer, writer, and the first British woman to summit Mount Everest—reads this poem beautifully. As someone who knows the cold better than most, her voice adds a depth and warmth to this piece that I’m incredibly grateful for.
The Heart of Winter
By Luke Western
It brings dark mornings with hot rolled oats,
bobble hats and woolly coats,
scraping ice from car windows,
freezing fingers and tingling toes.
It brings wellie boots and winter socks,
wet parcels too big for the letterbox,
family time and lights on trees,
and plates and platters of dates and cheese.
It brings crunchy leaves and drops of dew,
a low-hanging sun in a sky of blue,
frost-kissed cobwebs and long shadows,
rosy cheeks and a runny nose.
It brings soggy ground and train delays,
foggy glasses and shorter days,
cracking twigs and gritty roads,
frosty breath and scant hedgerows.
It brings naked trees and icy lakes,
bitter winds in bare landscapes,
a rustle of wings in hazy light,
sparks of red in lands of white.
It brings early visitors at the crack of dawn,
for a clean, cold bath to keep them warm,
a gardener’s friend in search of a feast,
of nuts and berries and mini-beasts.
It brings scarce rewards and endless struggles,
crystal patterns in hardened puddles,
impenetrable ice and fruitless fields,
where solid soil means meagre meals.
It brings puffed-up feathers to fight the cold,
a fiery companion, brave and bold.
While others seek the southern sun,
Robin remains when autumn's done.
It brings a chance to lend a hand,
with water and food in winterland.
If we're to hope for spring arrivals,
we must ensure songbird survival.