I decided to play with the form earlier this month and these are the ones that I shared on my blog as one of the #PoetryPals.
🌲Holiday Time🌲
A dedicated space to ponder, reflect, and converse about life, literacy, and learning
I decided to play with the form earlier this month and these are the ones that I shared on my blog as one of the #PoetryPals.
🌲Holiday Time🌲
Happy Winter Solstice!
It's the time of year when nightime comes earlier and covers the earth with an inky darkness. December shares her admiration for illumination with Winter's grand entrance on the Winter Solstice. With the weather a bit darkened and cold surrounding, I heated a cup of herbal tea, paused to contemplate before finished decorating our new Christmas tree. I added an extra light around the topper and ornamental memories.
A special thanks goes to Margaret Simon who offered time to reflect at her This Photo Wants to be a Poem blog . I created another elfchen poem (see above).
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Then, off to the Nutcracker Ballet I went for a family holiday event followed by a delicious dinner at Medium Rare, and a stop-off at a charming, fully-lit house with a bright, creative outside theme. This led to a cherita (story) poem.
Twas a dark, gray morning, when all through Creekside Clubhouse, not a creature was stirring, not even the kitchen mouse. The Cookies With Santa committee arrived smiley and cheery despite the weather being rainy and dreary. As busy as elves on this well-planned day, we settled down waiting for Santa's short stay. Families arrived in the nick of time, just before Santa's bells chimed. Then, what to our wondering eyes did we see, Jolly Santa and sweet Mrs. Claus greeted with uproarous applause.
Letters were written and cookies were dispersed by Santa's helpers who chose which family visited first. Onto Santa's lap children were placed without a single moment to waste. Even the six-month-old baby, youngest and small, seemed quite content and not fearful at all.
When the clock struck four, families waved to Santa and walked happily out the door.
Santa's elves and helpers, busy as bees, cleaned the Clubhouse with dutiful ease. Then, full of delight, Santa and Mrs. Claus bid all a merry good night
"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." (Norman Vincent Peale)
Eight days ago, December announced her runway debut with easy strides to end the year with joy. Her first task was to shorten daylight and let darkness bring a sense of chilled calm to earth. During these first days of December, I looked for traces of light flickering in the darkness. I sat by the fireplace watching flames flicker warming the chilled rooms. While I cherish the silence of darkness, I also enjoy the brightness of lights, especially at the holidays.
To keep the light shining in our home, we had pathway lights and spotlights installed illuminating our new trees. One Magnolia specimen tree stands proudly in each seat wall garden area. In addition, the front of our house has a new bush, a Ruby Falls Red Bud. It's devoid of its leaves now but arches gracefully. Each night, a long strand of lights and six round balls illuminate the front garden attesting to Mahatma Gandhi's quote, "In the midst of darkness, light persists." In the Bible, John 1:5 states, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
Jone MacCullock, the host of the December Spiritual Journey Thursday, invited our community of writers to ponder several questions on Light and Dark.
Not every day sparkles in sunshine but every day should be one of gratitude!
The Muddy Pond down the street from my house is a place of peace.
"A poem is a way of capturing a moment in time and making it eternal." -Valerie Worth
Each month, the Poetry Sisters, Tanita, Laura, Mary Lee, Liz. Sara, Tricia, and Kelly, offer a new poetic challenge. This month they are writing in the style of poet, Valerie Worth, whose poems are known for their simplicity and attention to detail. She was inspired by nature and ordinary objects, as exemplified by her poem, Porches. Valerie Worth's poem (see below) is one of her "small, portable pieces of magic" that draws attention to simple items.
You can learn more about Valerie Worth and read some of her poems at Spotlight on NCTE Poets: Valerie Worth, with Lee Bennett Hopkins, a post at Renee M. LaTulippe at No Water River.
This week, November's weather swung back and forth like a playground swing. Conversations arose: Chill in the air. 36 degrees to 70 degrees." Beyond human talk, there was a huge stir in the sky when my son and I were in the parking lot of Tyson's Corner Mall in Virginia. A mass of blackbirds swarmed the sky above the building. Dipping, diving, screeching they flew up and down. Loud conversations were heard as in the chasing scene in the movie, The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock. Immediately, my son shot the photo. We stood in awe of what we witnessed.
This week I thought about that stunning but eerie scene. When Anastasia Suen posted her #smallpoem challenge with the theme "Conversations", my mind started sparking ideas.