Shadowed secrets
Weight my mind
Ground me in clouds
Greyer than time
Do you remember me?
Or am I a figment
Of a lie
You pretend to deny
Open now to sunlight
In the gloom
I make no sound
Simply pray
On a starlit wing
Returning to me
my soul replete
Treading lightly
In a new day
-Lisa Thomson Wells
Challenge: If you can guess the Christmas song that the following lyric excerpts belong to, then you win a free copy of my upcoming book I Don’t Drink Alone and Other Lies.
Simply write the song to which the lyric belongs (in order) in the comments section.
Challenge closes December 24th at midnight, moments before Santa comes clattering down your chimney.
Here goes:
“…I’m gonna make a lot of money and quit this crazy scene…”
“…Now we are tall and Christmas trees are small…”
“…folks dressed up like Eskimos…”
“…how many people are crying, people are dying, people are asking for love?…”
“…door bells and sleigh bells and warm schnitzel with noodles…”
“…bells on a wintry night with a friendly fire burning warm and bright,,,”
“…Once bitten twice shy, I keep my distance but you still catch my eye…”
“…you will get a sentimental feeling, when you hear voices singing let’s be jolly…”
“…someday soon we all will be together if the fates allow…”
“…a long time ago in Bethlehem the holy piper said…”
Good luck, everyone and have yourself a Merry little Christmas.
December 26: Winner-Kevin Shaw 🙂
My last mail out I had asked my subscribers which upcoming book they would like to read of mine, given a choice of the three works currently in progress. The results are listed below in order of popularity:
I Don’t Drink Alone and Other Lies-a hilarious essay collection
Between Midnight and the Moon-Poetry Collection
Daughter of the Moon-a Novel
So I did have a set back with editing my novel. But I am getting back on track with that and I Don’t Drink Alone is pretty much ready to format. So looks like I will have a few new releases in early 2024.
In other topics; The strangest thing has been happening to me. I come up with an idea to write about here on the blog and then moments later, I forget what my brilliant idea was. What the heck?! Also, I re-read my post on “Ten things Covid Made Me Do”. I looked for it on the blog because there was a Leonard Cohen special on HBO which triggered my memory. I thought of the time during Covid that I tied my Beau to the kitchen chair. You know what came next.
Untitled
Only the Lucky Ones
Orange, smokey skies
Cloud our thoughts
Confusion and loss
Invade our lives
Burning out of control
Devil’s breath destroys
Leaving our home behind
Only the lucky ones
Get out alive
-LTW
With the wildfires foremost on my mind, the above poem came to me naturally. I can’t think of a title though. Strange as usually titles come to me first.
I’ve been thinking about the evacuees due to wildfires in both the Interior British Columbia and Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories. In addition, the tragedy of Lahaina in Maui, Hawaii has weighed heavily on my mind as I’m sure it has with you as well.
Normally I would write about ‘summer’ and what I’ve been up to but summer hasn’t been pleasant with wildfires dominating the news. The season’s no longer as charming as its endless blue skies and incredible sunsets. It is disturbing. I do feel that our world is truly on fire.
Just for reference, the city of Yellowknife is the most northern city in Canada. There is no daylight on the winter solstice and no darkness on the summer solstice. I’ve heard from people who have lived there that it is a magical place where the Aurora Borealis dances and the community, although fraught with a colorful history, is tight knit.
If you are curious about this city, I recommend reading Elizabeth Hay’s Late Nights On Air. I’ve read it twice because it’s that good. It is fiction (semi-autobiographical) and takes place in the mid-late 1970’s. She weaves the political issues and the growth of the city of Yellowknife in her story making the city itself a central character. The story takes you through the wilderness as well which is a vicarious way to experience the Great North without leaving your couch (haha).
I pray the city will survive and the evacuees can return to their homes and livelihoods. Ditto for the city of Kelowna which has been hit hard in the suburban areas. I saw on the news that the conditions for fighting the fires have improved but still, no rain in forecast to assist.
To give you a visual, you see on the map below exactly where Yellowknife is located. The Interior cities in British Columbia are southwestern part of the map.
Summer isn’t over yet and nor are the wildfire dangers. Let’s hope for improvement in the next few days. What’s happening in your part of the world? Do you feel overwhelmed by climate change, or the ‘news’ in general? Let’s chat in the comments. Also, if you can suggest a title for my poem please tell me in the comments. 🙂 Thank you, LA CONTESSA who suggested the title for my poem!
When I was a child this odd and haunting song was often heard on the radio. I didn’t know what it was called or who sang it but it was both dreamy and sad. Something about life’s illusions. What even are life’s illusions? I would ponder.
There was a carousel or was that a different song? No, it was a ‘ferris wheel’ and a ‘circus crowd’.
In a world of increasing Artificial Intelligence, are you missing the human touch? I am. In 1992, Bruce Springsteen penned a song titled “Human Touch”. I suppose he was ahead of his time.
These days, the human touch seems to be missing, a dreadful consequence of automated life. It’s not that I’m a super social butterfly–in some ways I am the opposite. I prefer to remain in my studio, as many writers and artists do, rather than host a party for example.
Are you feeling the Magic of the season? For me, it comes and goes. I have days where I’m meh about it all. Whatever, Santa’s no big deal.
And it’s just so damn dark all the time. Even though it’s been short days for almost two months, I’m still surprised when I look out the window to see that my day has been stolen. Like I have lost a sense of time for a split second. It could be either 5:30 pm or 8:30 pm because it’s pitch black outside. Thank goodness for mini twinkle lights, right?
And baby, it’s cold outside.
We’re approaching the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year. Do you celebrate the solstice more so than Christmas day? Winter solstice is beginning to hold more meaning for me as the years pass. Meanwhile, the importance of December 25th seems to be diminishing as I get older.
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