Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year one and all
It’s time to drop the Times Square Ball
Clean out closets; Start anew
Make a list of what (not) to do
Sing Old Lang Syne; And kiss loved ones
Go out, get crazy and have some fun
New year comes but once a year
So make the most and ring in good cheer!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Snippets of Christmas

Although Christmas Day lasts but 24 hours
That which precedes and that which follows -
just as valuable
Christmas is a patchwork of snippets
The scattered elements coming together
To make Christmas . . . CHRISTMAS


LOVE
snow days
donning antlers
frolicking in the snow
kissing under the mistletoe
shoveling out after a blizzard
selecting just the right gift card
wearing festive holiday sweaters
getting photos taken on Santa's lap
Ho Ho Ho
placing the angel on top of the tree
sticking out tongue to catch snowflakes
browsing catalogs and making a wish list
exchanging Secret Santa gifts with coworkers
taking a family portrait to share with loved ones
begging to open "just one" present Christmas Eve
hanging cherished stockings on the fireplace mantel
slowly driving through light bedecked neighborhoods

-- a light extravaganza --
finding the perfect stocking stuffer, the yearly ornament
humming along to classic carols playing over the loud speaker
watching holiday classics: Rudolph, Charlie Brown, Grinch, Frosty
reciting memorized lines and singing along
writing the family Christmas letter recapping the year's highlights
reconnecting with old friends through the news they share
sporting green and red socks with cute kittens or penguins in Santa hats
sipping hot cocoa with mini marshmallows after sledding down "the big hill"
decorating homemade holiday sugar cookies with fondant frosting and sprinkles
the lighting of the community Christmas tree at City Hall wile a local choir sings
donating to Salvation Army bell ringers, who despite the freezing cold, still have a
"Bless you, Merry Christmas"
HAPPY HOLLYDAYS

Saturday, December 13, 2008

The Memory Tree


The Christmas tree, each unique.
An undeniable symbol of the season
Often bedecked in blinking lights
Glittering ornaments, sparkling tinsel
Has become a memory tree.

My tree is not glamorous
Nor noteworthy in an aesthetic sense
But it is unique and remarkable,
A one of a kind mirror of me, my life

A new friend of mine
Said to me, “I like your memory tree”
Curious as to what she meant,
A few minutes explaining she spent

Each ornament has its own life and carries special treasures
Each ornament represents joys and simple life measures
Tears filled my heart as I recalled all the melancholic pleasures

Decorating the tree is more of a ceremony
One by one, memories are hung on the tree
Brought back to life with stories told
“Oh look, your grandfather carved that just for you”
“This is from our family vacation”
“Remember when she collected bears”
With each ornament, I reminisce
Baby’s first Christmas,
Homemade yarn snowmen
A ballerina and a miniature baseball mitt
A brittle vintage ornament

As each ornament carefully transcends
From its tissue covered comfort
To the bright exhibition for all to see
A new tradition unfolds
Celebrating each adornment

And even now as I hang my brand new musical note
I note its significance and know that next year
this will become a new memory
For the memory tree

A tear trickles down my cheek
As my finger tenderly traces the delicate ornament
That once bedecked my family’s tree
Some memories are more poignant than others

My memory tree changes
Every year
My life grows and changes
Other people bear witness
Reminiscing of similar life patterns
Yearly we return to the memory tree

This evergreen not a mere host to lights and tinsel
Remember elves, ornaments and such

Each unique in history and symbolism
Each marking milestones and memories

Don't Forget

Displays of lights line the streets in the city
Parades and parties and everything pretty
Everyone rushing, here and there
The essence of Christmas is filling the air

You can see it aglow in the smiles of faces
laughter peals out from the quietest places
The awe at the falling of winter’s first snow
Is often hidden to shoppers on the go

Stockings and candy canes,
No not just mint
The spirit is growing,
If you need a hint
That soon families and friends
Will gather, unite
It’s a remarkable time
For doing what’s right

Sharing and giving, singing carols and more
The true meaning of Christmas can’t be bought in a store
Reminiscing while hanging each ornament bright
Believing in Santa, the magic, that night

In the rush and madness you just may forget
About the joy of your family buried under the debt
It’s not the gifts or the cards or the money you spend
It’s all about caring and love in the end.

No Christmas

I don’t want Christmas this year
I don’t want joy and cheer.

Save the wrappings and my gift.
This year I don’t give a shit.

I don’t want holly or mistletoe.
I don’t want that cold white stuff called snow.

Don’t sing carols fa la la la la
Don’t bother me with bah humbugh blah

I don’t want Santa and his sleigh
I killed Rudolph the other day.

Don’t dress up in “gay apparel”
No Frosty movies or Christmas Carol

I’m not sending Christmas cards with updates on my life
Who would want to read the retelling of my strife

No parades, no giant tree
No decorations, no visits from me.

Don’t bake cookies or that fruitcake
No darling homemade presents make.

No traditions: no stars, no trees
Just let it all go away this year please.

Christmas is in the air

Merry Christmas .. Happy Hollydays!

I've decided to post some of my holiday poems from over the recent years. Some are more festive than others. :D

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Plant a garden

Plant a garden
Each element in the right season
Not too soon… for it will not take root
Not too late … for it will not have time to be nourished

Plant a garden
And tend it lovingly
Remove weeds and pests that tempt to interfere
Season with fertilizer and stimulate growth

Plant a garden
Remember its purpose
Harvest the fruits
And cut back non growth

** Plant a garden = Start a relationship

Yours

You want me to tell you
I will be yours for always

Yours to contact at random hours
(but I cannot contact you)
Yours to meet in clandestine locations
(but never in pubic locations)
Yours to call your own
(but I cannot claim you)
Yours to please you
(but you will not satisfy me)
Yours to follow directions
(but I dare not make requests)
Yours wholeheartedly
(but to expect a noncommittal attitude)
Yours to gaze into your eyes
(but not to look for your soul)

I want to be yours … minus the parenthetical exceptions
I want you to be mine … plus so much more

Time for a Change

Time for a change
No more settling
For that which doesn’t meet
My standards
No more squandering
Skills, talents, passion
With the undeserving, the unappreciative
No more reactionary measures
Stop gap, temporary quick fixes
that provide fleeting relief from

What traits

What traits manifest attraction?
height financial status
eyes sense of humor
build lifestyle
hair sex appeal
personality education
availability a certain “Je ne sais quoi”

We each have our own preferences

Of these qualities
Upon which criteria do we insist be met?
- for just a date?
- for a life time commitment?
What compromises can be made?
What exceptions unacceptable?

At what risk do we draw that line?

How long?

How long has it been since …
I longed for someone because he could fulfill me completely:
mentally,
emotionally,
creatively,
physically
Oh yeah, AND HE has longed for the same with me?

How long has it been since …
I wondered beyond his next contact with me:
the next conversation,
the next e-mail,
the next text message
the next touch
Oh yeah, AND HE wondered anxiously for next contact from me?

How long has it been since . . .
I met someone who fulfilled me on so many levels:
thinking outside the box,
writing love poems,
laughing,
trembling,
changing my thoughts on the words “promise” and “trust”
Oh yeah, AND I fulfilled HIM, too.

How long has it been since …
All the pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place:
My heart has felt whole
My body satisfied
My mood stable
My life complete
Oh yeah, AND HE has found the solution to HIS complicated life in me.

How long has it been?
Way too long
How much longer will it be ? Soon …. I hope