Post
by Doreen Peri » December 21st, 2014, 4:10 am
1.
And so we are here again, once more
the day when the sun is the farthest
from the equator and the way the earth
sits atilt on its axis causes more darkness
than light. But right at the very time
we arrive, light begins to seep through a
newly opened blind, our days become longer,
our bond stronger, our recognition of life cycles
renewed! And we will dance until the year is new!
2.
i lit the candles on the hearth,
the candles on the table,
the candles on my night stand,
bathroom candles, scented
candles, candles to light the
hall from room to room.
when you didn't show up,
i waxed poetic, wrote three
songs, two poems and a
sarcastic lyric about joining
the circus of doom.
it was quite a night.
After I wrote, I ate a lovely meal
by candlelight, read a good book
and listened to some jazz tracks.
wax is never wasted, neither is light.
thanks, you bastard, for standing me up.
i hope you had a lousy night.
3.
on the bright side , the candle abides
to set a lovely atmosphere,
light reflective each flicker a beat
of hearts in unison
4.
light strings spread
primary colors
secondary reflections
i'm behind my intentions
but ahead of the echoes
from moonbeam dreams
will wrap them around a tree,
say a prayer for me, lie down
in the silent night,
awaken to endless
possibilities
5.
It's 19 degrees. Wind with gusts up to
45 miles an hour. Wind chill factor
makes it feel somewhere between
a cool negative 5 and a balmy,
mild and pleasant zero degrees.
This verse is written in Fahrenheit.
If I had to translate these lines into Celsius,
it might feel even colder because the
numbers would be lower.
The good news is the weather doesn't
control the heart. Keep a warm heart.
That will help us all stay warm.
And wear gloves, for God's sake.
6.
i found a cold spot on her warm heart,
discovered accidentally through a troubled
word mishap,
chances being treated like an
emergency aorta probe, the whole
of each chamber in danger of explosion,
so she shut down quick,
iced over the soft spot, began reciting
a slippery mantra, undaunted by
any possibility of a thaw.
"leave me alone.
leave me alone,"
she said.
and pretty soon, even after
spring caused new tunes to
emerge, new blooms to become,
even after the hummingbird
flitted a thousand times a second,
wings beating a hover, his long
bill determined to enjoy
the sweet brief treat...
"leave me alone.
leave me alone,"
she said.
and pretty soon.....
they did.
cold hearts breed such dire certainties.
even spring cannot resurrect them.
7.
i blessed the festivities with the
best source of light i could find,
the kind that comes from
mind sparks and lucid illuminations
of dark interiors –
the style of which i never expected,
like a heartbeam reflected from
the genesis of doubt.
it is from such a place where i
have figured out the meaning of
light.... a definition i cannot quite
state –
not because it is too late and not
because there is no articulation –
only because of the relation
between me and the beam itself,
the both of us inseparable.
8.
the hummingbird is not a fool.
his bill is long and probes deep,
a tool to find a succulent nectar.
even the ice is not foolish,
though it keeps him from his treasure,
forces migration until icicles drip.
it is we who are fools.
we who cannot understand
the plan, we who curse the
absence of warmth, we who
do not have the fortitude
to wait through the cycle.
patience, brother, patience.
even dreams are cyclical.
soon we will sweep, circular,
to the top of the arc!
9.
silent snow
you can hear
the echo
of your heartbeat
slow and warm
holy snow
the earth
in a chill blanket,
beneath there lies
a dormancy.
all nature needs
hibernation
all is calm
bright multi-colored
rainbow lights
all is bright
reflect off a
chilled surface
feet wrapped
in wool socks,
fingers gloved,
pocketed,
counting
steps one
by one
sweet silent
snow, heavenly
peace
10.
christmas meant more to me when
the myth was true
when the night was holy, a sacrament,
incense scents and light, when belief was
eminent, the true gift,
my joy, my faith, the space between
all time eliminated with one moment,
the birth, the birth
now it is a lovely time of year,
but i insist it is much emptier
without the myth being true
on the tree, i hung a note
which reads, "you are
the light the world has been
waiting for"
but frankly
i don't want
that responsibility
11.
remember when i curiously questioned
the fact that dad's handwriting was the
same as santa's handwriting the
year before.
rude awakenings
often offer a jolt,
a sneer
and a grin.
the jokes on all of us.
but now i'm all grown up and question
the purpose of war.
nobody ever wins.
what the hell is it for?
population and real estate control,
i suppose.
i really do miss the twinkle in santa's eye
and his bulbous red nose.
what was he drinking
to make his nose shine like that?
at night during christmas,
let's recite the psalms.
then thank the good lord
we don't hear any bombs
ahhh but some hear them, right?
the joke's on all of us
some silent nights.
i bet santa and dad and jesus
all are hanging out on a cloud
laughing aloud at my verse.
but as dad used to say,
"things could be worse.
i could have the same
handwriting as you."
i tend to scribble, it's true.
shoulda been a doctor.
if i were, i'd prescribe myself
some decent deal-with-it meds.
'twas the night before christmas.
gnight... going to bed.
12.
sunrise
christmas
morn, depths
of pastel
in brilliance form
mysterious light
and the lyric refrain
was he born?
was he born?
echoes again
dawn witnessed
through a cold
window pane
and the child
rejoices, "he came!
he came!"
