T. S. Eliot--The Cultivation of Christmas Trees

The Cultivation of Christmas Trees
-T.S. Eliot-

There are several attitudes towards Christmas,
Some of which we may disregard:
The social, the torpid, the patently commercial,
The rowdy (the pubs being open till midnight),
And the childish--which is not that of the child
For whom the candle is a star, and the gilded angel
Spreading its wings at the summit of the tree
Is not only a decoration, but an angel.
The child wonders at the Christmas Tree:
Let him continue in the spirit of wonder
At the Feast as an event not accepted as a pretext;
So that the glittering rapture, the amazement
Of the first-remembered Christmas Tree,
So that the surprises, delight in new possessions
(Each one with its peculiar and exciting smell),
The expectation of the goose or turkey
And the expected awe on its appearance,
So that the reverence and the gaiety
May not be forgotten in later experience,
In the bored habituation, the fatigue, the tedium,
The awareness of death, the consciousness of failure,
Or in the piety of the convert
Which may be tainted with a self-conceit
Displeasing to God and disrespectful to the children
(And here I remember with gratitude
St. Lucy, her carol, and her crown of fire):
So that before the end, the eightieth Christmas
(By “eightieth” meaning whichever is the last)
The accumulated memories of annual emotion
May be concentrated into a great joy
Which shall be also a great fear, as on the occasion
When fear came upon every soul:
Because the beginning shall remind us of the end
And the first coming of the second coming.

Fate

For Three Word Wednesday, prompt words indecision, option, fate.

Fate

A part of Fate is the freedom of man. --R. W. Emerson

Fate beckoned, bowed
on one knee, while
a sycamore swayed
in the breeze. Long
fingers pointed either way,
momentous indecision.
Impossible to weigh
every blazing option;
Fate condescends,
leaves fall
where they may.

Plant Dreams

This is for the good folks over at Bluebell Books. Thanks for the invite.

Plant Dreams


She is Queen of the Forest,
benevolent Sovereign of her

universe, every mound
of fertile soil her royal

playground. In this world
all life is an expression

of her will, touched
by a well-meaning hand.

She adores and protects
each greening leaf,

growing deep roots for
the sadness yet to come.

Do we know, without doubt,
what vegetation dreams about?

William Blake on Perception

Man's perceptions are not bounded by organs of perception, he perceives more than sense (tho' ever so acute) can discover.

~William Blake, There is No Natural Religion

Awake

Three Word Wednesday, prompt words nasty, heat, cease.

Awake

Before we make fools
of ourselves
by nasty words
and worse actions;
when light and heat mingle
with quiet breath
and we are not ashamed;
depending on something
other than
what we wear, own, or believe;
that brief moment
that touches eternity,
exposed
yet precious
like a child, like a child.
Each morning an entrance
where knowledge vanishes,
prophecies fail,
tongues cease.

Peace that Passes All Understanding

A late, unrefined Three Word Wednesday. Prompt words bump, transfix, knuckle.

Peace that Passes All Understanding

He prayed, “Bless those fighting
for peace.” And I scratched
my head in wonder. How can
this be? The world waits
transfixed, fearing the loss
of all, and we ask Almighty God:

Bless us, O Lord, as we
march on to Zion,
beat plows into swords,
carve trees into clubs,
bump off every opponent,
raise bloody knuckles,
make peace by war.

Not for Nothing

For Three Word Wednesday, prompt words gag, omit, maintain. I had this ready earlier, but had an argument with myself about the best order for the stanzas. Settled on this for now.

Not for Nothing

It's not for nothing
I come early to Tumble Creek,
leaving the noisy boundaries
of progress and order to learn
the wind's soft syllables.

The architects of Paradise
have Nature bound and gagged,
allowing her to speak barely
in well-maintained green accents--

but I need to see Nature wild,
hear her whisper mysteries
known only to those who
love their place, who listen
with the care that omits nothing.