If you travel to New York City at Christmastime you will find a city lit up with glittering lights, majestic decorations, and milling crowds. This year was no exception but the crowds seemed to have increased and security was intensified.
Families were seen with cameras or phones in hand snapping photographs to savor the moments. I captured a few scenes and created a short video that can be viewed below.
While New York City was festive, Times Square and 5th Avenue by Rockefeller Center were so congested that it was disconcerting. Crowds were converging at corners, splitting to move here and there. Some people were pushing to pass through; shoving was common; peacefulness was not present in those spots. This may be due to the tourists wishing to see Trump Tower.
The New York Times ran an article on December 22, 2016 that shows what I saw on Wednesday, December 28th. You can access it here.
During this past month, Mary Lee Hahn has been posting haikus at her site, Poetrepository, and invited others to join her at #haikuforhealing. I have been writing to soothe my soul. Below is my offering written after my family traveled to New York City for a lovely lunch at Becco'sfollowed by a New York City walk-about.
For your information, the news is reporting that 2 million people will be present in Times Square tomorrow night for the dropping of the ball. I will be watching the event on television and hoping for a sense of decorum and civility returning to New York City's streets.
Please visit Party Poetry Friday hosted by fellow writer Donna Smith at her blog, Mainely Write for this week's round-up. Donna is presenting a "bold" haiku to start the festivities. Happy New Year to all.
After many days of preparation for the holidays and sandwiching in writing to soothe the soul, I have unveiled Autumnventure Gallery as my seasonal holiday gift. Gratitude is extended to all my poetry friends who supported my love of poetry by offering wonderful nuggets of wisdom, vivid autumn scenes, and inspirational quotes. Original music, art, and videos were added to this gallery as a bonus.
Here are my brief thoughts on the completion of the gallery in septercet form. (Thanks Michelle Barnes for introducing me to this poetic format.)
Winter entered; autumn left
but fond memories linger. Fall's seasonal gift unveiled.
You can access Autumnventure Gallery here. I hope you enjoy the gallery walk, with soothing music, artwork, #digipoetry, digital inspirations, #imagepoems, and bursts of color. It was an inspiring journey. My one word this year that has guided me onward is believe and that I did as I designed the gallery.
Poetry Friday Friends Who Contributed to Autumnventure Gallery
Baie, Linda
Kogan, Michelle
Rattigan, Jama
Behnke, Ramona
Lewis, J. Patrick
Salas, Laura Purdie
Flynn, Catherine
MacCulloch, Jone
Shepard, Kiesha
Forrest, Matt
Magee, Bridget
Silverman, Buffy
Hahn, Mary Lee
Mayr, Diane
Simon, Margaret
Harsham, Brenda
Mitchell, Linda
Varsalona, Carol
Hodgson, Kevin
Nesdoly, Violet
Wyman, Christie
Autumn asks that we prepare for the future—
that we be wise in the ways of garnering and keeping.
But it also asks that we learn to let go—
to acknowledge the beauty of sparseness.
-Bonaro W. Overstreet
Happy Holidays, friends. Enjoy your time with family, friends, and poetry. #Poetrylove sustains us when the pace of life is hectic. Now back to finding the elves to help me wrap all my presents before the family arrives tomorrow.
Buffy Silverman is hosting Poetry Friday-the Solstice Edition at her blog, Buffy's Blog. Please visit so you can read her Hound Haiku in story format. Also, please check out Buffy's offering, Life of a Leaf, at the Autumnventure Gallery.
Thank you for perusing the Autumnventure Gallery. It has been a pleasure to present the sights and sounds of autumn through an artistic lens. Please leave a comment or tweet a response so that the joy of this gallery and the work of all those who contributed can be spread throughout the world. -Carol
