Poetry Friday - Christmas Day

 

            Irene Latham hosts our Poetry Friday today at her blog, Live Your Poem HERE with some special advice, "How to Make Merry". Thanks very much, Irene!

         I did celebrate Christmas outside with my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson last Saturday. It was wonderful to see and talk with them, but it was also all too brief. I certainly hope 2021 will be different. Today, I'm off to my daughter's house here in town and will celebrate with her, my son-in-law, and the two granddaughters. We will have fun, certainly, but a sadness lingers, too.

           Wishing everyone a special holiday, today for a Merry Christmas. Hanukkah is over and I hope your celebrations were special. Kwanzaa begins Saturday and ends on January 1st. Whatever your special days, may you find peace and joy!

     This used to be my "kitchen tree', but no 
room there now, so on a living room shelf.
Imogene created a star for its top!

 

      

        I shared this story years ago and want everyone to know it, thus posting again. A few years ago, a friend who always sends poems in her cards sent the poem BC:AD by UA Fanthorpe. At that time, I did not know this poet or the poem, but it made me want to know more. Fanthorpe has an amazing gift of word knowledge, paring down to what must be written, and then no more, what all poets attempt with varied success. I love the different paths she takes by looking at known topics as new ones. 

        You can find three of her poems with two others that Fanthorpe wrote about  

 Christmas here: "The Reindeer Report", "What The Donkey Saw", and "Not the Millennium". In 2002, the poet’s Christmas poems that she wrote and sent to friends for many years were collected into one volume,  Christmas Poems.      

           Several people have set this poem to music, too, easily found by a Google search.  

Happy Holidays everyone!

This is the beginning:

BC:AD 

by UA Fanthorpe:

This was the moment when Before

Turned into After, and the future's

Uninvented timekeepers presented arms.

           This was the moment when nothing 
           Happened. Only dull peace 
           Sprawled boringly over the earth. 

Find the rest here!

Holiday Celebrations

  Celebrating with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build.  and linking with others who share their celebrations, too. I am grateful to Ruth for helping us celebrate together!  

   Taking a break till the new year, looking forward to celebrating the holidays! For me, family and Christmas is a time to savor and anticipate all the year! 

MERRY

C arols and Community

H ats hand-knit and Hope

R hymes and Relaxing

I magination and Icicles

S anta and Sleighs

T oast and Talk

M emories and Magic

A ngels and Arrivals

S pices and Soup

                    Linda

Poetry Holiday

        Join all Poetry Friday bloggers at Buffy's Blog today. No matter what holiday you celebrate, it's a lovely time of year for gathering.

        You may know Ursula Fanthorpe (known as UA Fanthorpe), but I discovered some of her work just a few years ago, and enjoy her new-to-me look at some treasures of life. This piece in The Telegraph shares three of her poems, and that she began writing Christmas poems for friends in 1974, and sent them in her yearly Christmas cards. You can find a collection of these poems in Christmas Poems: BC:AD here. 

Here's a favorite poem by UA Fanthorpe for Christmas:

BC:AD

This was the moment when Before

Turned into After, and the future's

Uninvented timekeepers presented arms.

Special Time - One Night

The Tuesday Slice of Life is hosted by the Two Writing Teachers blog.  Go there to visit the other"slicers"! I'm looking forward to more great posts from Stacey, Tara, Dana, Betsy, Anna, and Elisabeth!

  Hurrah!  The Cybil's finalists will be announced on January 1st!  Watch for them!

            I believe I’ll do my reflecting from 2013 in small chunks, a bit at a time.  It’s been a long year with reflecting built in, so it’s not a good time for me to re-look again.  But-for this end-of-2013 post, I want to thank so many thoughtful commenters, friends, writers.  It was a wonder of a year in that part of my life.  I was able to attend the All-Write Conference in Indiana in June and meet so many with whom I had only an online connection, very special indeed to meet such a terrific group, and have 

lo-o-ng conversations.  Thanks Bonnie, Ramona, Robin, Katherine, Amy, Betsy, Elsie and to Ruth, Deb G. and Mary Helen for being such terrific welcomers!

Traditions - or Not!

             

Tuesday Slice of Life is hosted by the Two Writing Teachers blog.  Go there to visit so many other terrific "slices"!

           I’ve never had a tradition with Christmas trees.  As a child or in my marriage, there has been more than one “thing” we’ve done about “the tree” for Christmas.  Monday, I went to Target and bought a new artificial tree.  I was not happy with a bigger tree last year, and finally found time to shop for a new one.  I discovered a sweet little pre-lit tree that fits just right in one place in my living area. 

           Is this the ideal memory-making event for Christmas?  Maybe?  I’ve found that doing things during the holidays, and perhaps every other day has more to do with the attitude I use than what happens in the event.  I went to Target, found just the tree I imagined, stopped at Starbucks for chai, and went home to put it up.  It was a good time. My granddaughter will be over later in the week to help with the trimming.  We’ll play Christmas music, read some special books, and she’ll help me.  We’ll make memories!

One Bright Christmas Moment

      Our final Poetry Friday, and the new year invited is hosted by a blogger friend nearby, Carol at Carol'sCorner.  Thanks Carol, for hosting this final poetry celebration of 2012!

       Among all the celebrations, one moment I will hold closely, a young girl so happy in a princess dress, asking if we want to watch her Christmas dance.  She is giddy with the joy of the music, of the promise of gifts to come, and cousins visiting. 

New Home-New Christmases

On Tuesdays, the Slices of Life are shared through the Two Writing Teachers blog.  It's Christmas Tuesday this time.

       This year, Christmas is in my new home.  So far, it's been fun and busy, like all Christmas times.  My son and family are in for the week, and we're going to my daughter's later today for our gift-giving and celebrating.  Some of the traditions are the same; I made the usual cookies and wrapped the gifts, hiding some surprises.  Although I moved just a couple of weeks ago, I've managed to find all the "needed" items, and first put up the kitchen tree, just like years past.  

This Poet Gives Another Look At That Special Night

Poetry Friday is celebrated today with Dori at Dori Reads

I have a friend who sends favorite poems at Christmas time in her cards.  It is a thoughtful gift and something I look forward to each Christmas time.   A few years ago, she sent the poem BC:AD by UA Fanthorpe.  I did not know this poet, or the poem, but it made me want to know more.  Fanthorpe has an amazing gift of word knowledge, paring down to what must be said, and then no more, what all poets attempt with varied success.  I love the different paths she takes by looking at known topics as new ones. You can find this poem with two others that Fanthorpe wrote about Christmas here.   In 2002, the poet’s Christmas poems that she wrote and sent to friends for many years were collected into one volume, Christmas Poems.      Several people have set this poem to music too, easily found by a Google search. 

Happy Holidays everyone!

This is the beginning:

BC:AD

by UA Fanthorpe:

This was the moment when Before

Turned into After, and the future's

Uninvented timekeepers presented arms.

Reading And Memories

Tuesday Slice of Life is enjoyed at the Two Writing Teachers blog, with Stacey and Ruth.

      This time of year no matter what holiday we celebrate brings back memories, not always good, but mostly warm tender memories of times gone by.   Charles Dickens said it best in The Pickwick Papers:  Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveler, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!  I feel blessed that I had wonderful grandparents well into my adult life, and my numerous connections to them are an important part of who I am.  One of those connections has to do with being a passionate reader, and some of my earliest memories begin with a grandfather reading to me, which leads me to Christmas, which leads me to one of our favorite activities, reading the funnies!