My parents’ brought me a treasured gift from their memorable trip to Israel; hand-carved and sold by Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem. This small olive wood creche features the humble family of three under a dazzling star flourish over the stark stable. An angel bears “Gloria” banner with song from above while earthy shepherd watches from behind fir tree. Sentinel sheep guard the vulnerable Lamb of God.
Of course, I want the grandkids to touch and experience the texture of that biblical first Christmas; to be able to hold a bit of awe in their little hands. But I also feel protective, maybe even possessive of the delicate creche; this irreplaceable gift of Christmas. So I purchase a children’s version of stable with plastic figures they can move around, put in mouth, or drop.
Hopefully, we do not cheapen the real story in our efforts to make it accessible.
creches around world all nations will worship him Jesus has first place
try (fitfully) to sleep; i’m depleted from preparations: hop, shop, clean, bake, make room in “mama’s inn” for (too late… or too early?) arrival so….. please (!) don’t bang that door (again) !!
yet, come & go, and also know you’re more cherished than sleep to me .
My 44-word quadrille for dVerse as we end poetic year with a bang!
Etheree form: unrhymed without meter, one stanza of 10 lines, graduating from 1 to 10 syllables (Laura adds lines 11 & 12 with just 2 syllables each to give shape of Christmas tree).Linking to dverse poets…
see a spruce in backyard of childhood home reaches for the clouds shelter for nesting birds hide-away for brown squirrels branches thick and full to tree top rises as blue neighborhood landmark until it plays the part of lightning rod and falls blackened
Recently, Grace hosted a dVerse prompt featuring the “Nove Otto”. This poetry form was created by Scott J. Alcorn. It is a nine-lined poem with 8 syllables per line. The rhyme scheme is: aacbbcddc.
God is the giver of all good; He provides his creatures with food his loving care supplies our bread grazing cattle content to eat in turn, they will provide our meat. “Love your neighbor,” Jesus has said; are our cold hearts so full of greed that we won’t share with those in need? if grateful we are to be fed!
Mish hosts OLN at dVerse…here’s my tanka for mini-prompt 🙂
husband grows older cold weather, his nemesis tiger in the snow our new driveway faces north he and snowblower…growling
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) created woodblock prints and paintings. Over his lengthy career, Hokusai produced over 30,000 pieces. Tigers became his subject matter in his final years and “Tiger in the Snow” may have been his final creation. (source: wikipedia.com)
her ex’s birthday fell on halloween her ex’s birthday fell on halloween the road is scary place to fall in love the road is scary place to fall in love her halloween on road in scary fall is place to fell the ex’s love birthday
to celebrate, they set up skeleton to celebrate, they set up skeleton upon front lawn with missing pumpkin head upon front lawn with missing pumpkin head they celebrate with pumpkin set upon front skeleton missing lawn up to head
if truly dead, a monster will decay if truly dead, a monster will decay but souls may resurrect on all saints day but souls may resurrect on all saints day if dead souls but decay on monster day truly a saint’s will resurrect all may
monster birthday upon ex’s dead lawn may truly resurrect her soul’s skeleton if missing head will celebrate all day they set a place to saints on halloween with in, all pumpkin love fell to decay but fall is up front scary on the road!
NOTE: The paradelle is one of the more demanding French fixed forms, first appearing in the langue d’oc love poetry of the eleventh century. It is a poem of four six-line stanzas in which the first and second lines, as well as the third and fourth lines of the first three stanzas, must be identical. The fifth and sixth lines, which traditionally resolve these stanzas, must use all the words from the preceding lines and only those words. Similarly, the final stanza must use every word from all the preceding stanzas and only those words.
This was a spoof poetry form invented by Billy Collins and re-published on dVerse Poets by Grace.
a poem in my pocket 
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