three good words

December 31, 2014December 31, 2014

auld lang sayne

May old acquaintance be forgot…
What does that mean?
I know not what.
But I must say
from the bottom of my heart

Thank you, Merci and Dankeschön

for reading, liking, commenting
and making threegoodwords such a wonderful experience,
such a joy in writing a blog.

So here, now, close to the last hour
of this old-young year
I wish you
All you lovely people
the loveliest, happiest, most pleasurable of
New Years.

Have a wonderful 2015!

xx, j.d.

December 29, 2014

open snow

In the silence
the need to be blossoms slowly
like a tree takes time to grow
a moment to leave what’s lost
allow what’s lonely
and wander out into the open snow.

Outside, clouds shining
dark white, mother-of-pearl
the sea in the sky over
green peaks dusted, swaying
the cold beauty of a winter morning.

In the shadows, ancient trees
endless thoughts, sweeps of feeling
dark in light, hot in warm
like will o’ the wisps a-murmuring
too light for the heaviness of words
glowing in silence
flashing
voiceless
silent as an ancient song.

December 23, 2014

same ol’, same ol’

Every year
the drama begins
sitting around the table
eating drinking
making merry
singing carols and songs wassailing

And then it happens,
right among the joyous crowd
that one little word
that one precious tone
eyes wide, pursed lips
a silence full ‘Oh-oh’ and ‘Here we go’
Oh God did you have to start that now?’

And the mayhem begins
the rants, arguments
and loud angry shouts
Uncle George, please
Aunt Jemma, why? Granma!
and Tammy, hold your tongue
Lucas, stop egging him on
but Ian and Joyce pour more oil into the fire
Eddie and Sara smiling sadly, looking on,
it’s all so predictable like that 12 days song

That one little look
that one small word
a sigh, a warning
sent out with serious eyes
‘Please, have another drink’
‘No, that’s what started it!’
The wine, the grog
those glasses of homemade eggnog
all of them pistol-shots to
The He said She said Marathon:

‘I never said’, ‘You did say’
This, that and remember that day
two, three, ten years ago
‘When I was a kid’
and everyone groans,
sighs, heads shaking, while eyes are rolled

Every single year, back when we played in the snow,
Every single Christmas that comes and goes.

December 22, 2014

patterns galore

exploring a voice
a mindset
a perspective
is like slipping on clothes
to see if and how they fit
here too long, there too tight
altogether a bit off
or just right

until they’re known enough
warm enough
to the touch
of thought, sight, feeling
and you’re fairly certain
you have the pattern,
the colours and meshes down pat,
the seams of memories, quirks
and habits good and bad,
how they all fit together –

Or not.
Sometimes it’s all a pair of old clothes:
too small to fit, too familiar to throw,
or bundled up together in one glorious knot
hard to untangle with patterns galore
so subtle and baroque
they’re infinitely hard to spot.

December 16, 2014

on which we all

images of a likeness
that is proclaimed to be divine
commit and commit
and never quit to terrify

that which is sublime
in each of us all
that spark, that fire
that gives us love, hope, compassion,
that goodwill so desired,
and everything that makes us kind

stamped out with jacked boots of blindness
and hands writing, mouths speaking madness
watering the weeds of what lets
Darkness grow to Night.

And now, once more,
young dreams of joy and happiness
are turned to dust and ashes
lowered low into empty earth
on which we all stand on.

And the cry is loud
amongst us all and deep inside
everything that makes us love, hope
compassionate and kind,
for we know, we know
that this madness is not us
nor any other
this is not that image nor that likeness
of that which is divine.

This madness is not mankind.