NEW YEAR's EVE 2018

 STARS (1920) by Sara Teasdale
                (from the collection "Flame and Shadow")

 Alone in the night

 on a dark hill

 With pines around me

 Spicy and still......

 And a HEAVEN full of stars

 Over my head,

 White and topaz

 And misty red.....

 Myriads with beating hearts of fire......

 that aeons cannot vex......Or tire.....

  Up the dome of heaven like a great hill,

 I watch them marching stately and still...

 And I know that I am honoured to be witness

 Of so much Majesty!

Photographs 2018    Happy New Year!

"Stars" by Sara Teasdale 1920

Christmas 2018

 CHRISTMAS CAROL by Sara Teasdale (1911)

 The kings they came from out of the south

 All dressed in ermine fine

 They bore Him gold and chyrsoprase

 And gifts of precious wine.

 The shepherds came from out the north

 Their coats were brown and old;

 They brought Him little new-born lambs

 They had not any gold.......

 The wise men came from out the east

 And they were wrapped in white

 The star that led them all the way

Did glorify the Night!

 The angels came from heaven high,

 And they were clad with wings;

 And LO, they brought a joyful song

 The host of heaven sings!

 The kings they knocked upon the door,

 The wise men entered in,

 The shepherds followed after them, to hear the song begin.....

 The angels sang through all the night,

 Until the rising sun,

 But little Jesus fell asleep

 Before the song was done...................

Photographs 2018
"Christmas Carol" by Sara Teasdale written in 1911.From a collection of Poems entitled "Helen of Troy and Other Poems 1911"

  

 CHRYSOPRASE: A green gemstone from the New Testament, used to symbolize joy and contentment.....

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Christmas Rat

 "What is there more kindly  than the feeling being Host and Guest..." -Aeschylus

 Unless the guest (or guests) is a Rat.  Squeaking between floors. When Humans are feasting.When it's Christmas. Between walls. Downstairs. In the vents.

 A rat? Did you say rat? Where? Ahh,Mr. Pooh. Yes, there's a rat...

 The Rat would  have races along the metal vents. Or crawl into the window seat and chew. In the night. In the dark. When the Christmas trees were the only things shining brightly.

 My Christmas rat , I would say. Hear him gnawing away in the corner by the back window. He sounds busy......

   That sound? I would say to our guests. Why, it's the Nature Channel. Then I would smile and turn up the "music". Gnaw Gnaw. Scuffle. Louder would go the Nature Channel....

 We tried cheese. Lots of cheese. to entice it out. It didn't like cheese. It liked  vents.Settling guests downstairs would find me looking up into the ceiling. The sound of the Rat ( rats? maybe plural) scrambling like horses.

 What's that sound? guests downstairs would ask. The nature Channel carries a long way,  my answer, making  a mental note to try the Spa channel next.....

 Even Spencer , mighty hunter, could not catch the Rat when he ventured out to the bird seed pan. A daily thing. I would see the Rat, fat and glorious in the seeds. Stuffing himself silly. Spencer trying to catch him as the Rat raced back up into the grape vines above......

 Then back into the vents he would come. Rat feet pitter patting. Dancing along.

 Christmas company, ever curious. You really like that Nature Channel, don't you? They would say. You must have left it on all night. By accident. Of course. 

 Squeaking. Chewing. Over the clink of cutlery. Over the sound of carol singing.Out of rhythm  with the songs. Then silence. At last. One day I thought I smelled dead rat. Ewww. Sniff Sniff. Mouldy sour. Hmmm.  Carton of coffee cream,  taken downstairs by a guest and left on the floor, behind a door.....

 The Christmas Rat never came back. I  think that was the day I turned off the Nature Channel finally. Then   I saw him. Hanging over the seed bowl outside. Before he took off into the dusk. Into the dark. Into the shed at the back. All was Silent all was Well. In the House. In the vents.....

 "Thank you for making me a part of this..."
                                     -Rizzo the Rat ( Muppet Xmas Carol)

Photographs 2018