As the fires make corners of this house bearable, and the night falls silent and starless, I am thinking, not of Christmas, that seems so far away and meaningless, but of my children who will be coming here tomorrow to celebrate the ending of the year, and those who, for one reason or another, can’t make it.
Thank you, Frank, for throwing out this challenge.
To bring back the sun,
fires burn through the long nights—
in the east, a star.
Is this enough pale fire
to last us through the darkness?
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And then I stop and sit and eat.
Let’s hope it is, Jane. I hope you have a wonderful visit with your children tomorrow.
They’re staying over until Tuesday so wish me luck 🙂
Good luck. I hope it’s wonderful. 🙂
It’s going to be…chaotic.
I can’t wait to see the poems. 😉
I just hope that come Wednesday we’re all still speaking to one another!
Hahahaha. I hope so, too. I know your house is freezing, but maybe if it gets too bad, you can escape to your room with Finbar and a bunch of blankets for a while.
Actually, with the two stoves going it’s okay. And the house is pretty full of human and animal life, so we’ll manage 🙂
Hope you have a wonderful holiday, Jane!
It’s been chaotic but fun so far. Hope yours is going as you want it to 🙂
Chaotic, but fun is OK. Ours has been fun, too. 🙂
I’m pleased. If Christmas has any meaning at all, it’s a good excuse for families to get together and laugh a lot.
Yes, exactly, Jane!
It’s odd that there are two huge commercial celebrations within a week of one another. I wonder what the ‘tradition’ is behind that?
Well, I guess it was the 12 days of Christmas when people could celebrate and travel, but now it’s a week with two commercial celebrations so we can spend money? 😉
I’d forgotten about the Epiphany. We celebrate that here to a small extent, but the big ones are Christmas and New Year with a big blow out on the 24th and the 31st as well as the 25th and 1st. Not surprising most people start the year broke!
😉
Oh Jane, this is truly lovely. I think with all of the love soon to be at your house there will be enough warmth to get you all through. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Thanks Toni. I wish they could all be here, but the eldest will be with her partner’s family in the north, and the middle one is working over the holiday. I hope we’ll see them after the New year when they have some time off work/get back from the family visit. Happy Christmas to you too 🙂
I wondered how you were faring with Christmas this year. Lovely poem and celebrates the solstice perfectly. Hugs! ❤
Thank you, Colleen! Have a peaceful and warm end of the year, and best wishes for what comes after xxx
Thanks, Jane. Here’s to another great year of writing. 💫🌈🌤
I hope we will all achieve that 🙂
…to last us through the winter.
Is it?
I’d settle for getting through the winter. I’m not expecting the answer to the meaning of life…
In that case, I wish you merry and warm Xmas and the least cold winter ever.
Can you start by wishing we find the Christmas decorations before the kids arrive in an hour, please?
I would but don’t even know where ours are. We mind as well give up. Why don’t you try the crystal ball?
Can’t remember where I packed it…
You can always song xmas songs. That’ll do too.
Our master of ceremonies has sorted a playlist with just about every Christmas song that was ever invented. It’s been nauseating but funny.
I’m not much of a fan myself. Glad you enjoyed it.
Even the master of ceremonies got bored with it eventually.
But all in all, it was enjoyable, right?
It was great fun. I’m more apprehensive about next weekend when if all goes well all five of them will be here plus the two partners. I’m not sure I can do another big vegan meal at such short notice. It’s not the kind of thing that says ‘festive’ to me.
Who’s vegan?
Two daughters. They are completely uncompromising about it. The youngest is vegetarian but she’s pretty easy-going about it and stretches a point whenever it’s something she really likes like roast chicken. The other two are carnivores. It’s a difficult one to get right. Impossible unless I do two meals.
Oh my. Lots of work. Three omnivores here.
They have always been picky, but the vegan option is radical.
The kestrel on the telephone wire sends you juicy wishes for the new year 🙂
A very visual wish. Tweet tweet. Thank you.
Sweet breezes and as many small rodents as you can handle 🙂
Rodents? Which ones? Wild wild south.
Our mystery rodents are dormice and I don’t mind sharing with them. The kestrel isn’t fussy.
Oh my. You have a real zoo down there.
Found wild boar tracks down by the stream this morning…
Bon appetit.
Hmm, this makes me wonder about the theoretical contrast. If a pale fire doesn’t work, why not experiment with other colors, shades, depths, and vibrancies? Sometimes it’s just a matter of playing around with palettes and hues.
I’d love to agree with you, but that implies a belief that we create or control the palette, and I don’t have it. We can change a nuance here and there by looking at things from a different angle, but the broad strokes are beyond our capacity to change them.
Lovely piece Jane…I could change the last word to ‘heat”…..another hot one today but tomorrow promises to be cooler. Have a great time with you children, mine are turning up tomorrow(Monday) afternoon….Best wishes for 2018.
Thanks Michael! Best wishes to you and yours too. We won’t have a full house because two can’t make it—one spending Christmas with partner’s family and another one will be working over Christmas. Wish it was hot here!
Well I rarely have all mine here either but this year I do have my eldest son and his family here. You are welcome to any amount of the heat we have been having, we are very generous about giving it away.
This will be the first year we haven’t all been together. Three out of five is probably as good as it’s going to get from now on as they all start leading their own lives.
Its a sad reality isn’t it, they have to juggle their family along with the family of partners. My eldest daughter lives in Melbourne and that’s a long distance from me so I don’t see her all that often. But I will 5 of the six with me this year and that’s pretty good plus 6 of the 8 grandkids.
I think you’ve done very well, Michael. I hope you enjoy every minute of it 🙂
Joy to you and yours Jane. May next year be spectacular.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
Same to you David xxx I’ll settle for just ‘warm’ 🙂
Being with family is important… but they can also drive you up the walls. 😉
Have a wonderful visit.
So far, we’re surviving. Have a good time with yours, Jules 🙂
Last year we were on our own…
this year we’ve lunch and dinner with family. 🙂
The last one goes back to Bordeaux tomorrow then on Sunday all five of them are coming for the new year. Not the restful, otherworldy celebration I was expecting.
I attempt to expect less and be surprised more… As my own family grows… grandchildren, in-laws and in-laws of in-laws best we can do is just accept the unexpected. 🙂
Be well and enjoy those you love.
You too, Jules. It’s the best attitude—just accept and enjoy.
Reblogged this on Frank J. Tassone and commented:
#Haiku Happenings #3: Jane Dougherty’s latest #tanka for my current #haikai challenge!
Thank you, Frank 🙂
Have a fantastic day Sis 💗💞💝💜
It’s been fun so far. Next weekend we have all five of them normally, so we’ll be taking lots of deep breaths from tomorrow.
Good luck with that then 😱💜🌹🌹🌹🌹
Thanks!
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
Thank you, Michael 🙂
Hello Jane! Sorry, once again very late. Wish you and yours happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and wonderful days to relax. Michael 😉
Thanks Michael! I’m the one who’s late! It’s been chaotic so far, but it’s calming down from tomorrow until next weekend. Hope you are having a wonderful time 🙂 Jane