Poetry for the Winter Season

I hope most of those who were sent a holiday card have received it by now... there just may be a handful of stragglers... here is the sixth annual collection of poetry written by Justin, Rachel, and me... the theme this year was minstrels and ice.

The Minstrels
By E. Justin Warren

Towering above the ground,
The ice sculptures complete
In their majesty glistening:
A thousand diamonds all at once.

"The minstrels three,"
So he came to name them
As he put tools away,
"Alas they should not stay long!"

So he heads inside home:
Towards warmth, comfort, and bed;
His creations alone in their element
To find their own way.

As the dark breaks overhead,
Stars shining crisp, pure light
Upon their frozen heads,
The statues come to life.

A crack: the first jumps to life,
Limbs still stiff with cold.
The flute in hand, he turns to go,
Music, soft yet clear, warms him.

The second follows after,
To find lute strings under hand,
He strums a chord for warmth it gives
And leaves in search of the flute.

The third one sits,
Ice still his cage,
And waits for melt to come:
His intricacies leave him last.

For many things of music
Are born upon his form:
Drums surround his person,
The beat his to keep.

And also more,
Raised high above the rest
A throat and voice
To sing the tune as played.

But now he's through!
The ice and snow fall away
Melted to water as he breaks free,
To follow the others.

As they enter the world
Their music is borne
On wind blown through air
To ear of the listener.

As the dawn pierces the night,
He awakes inside the house,
Still warm against the cold,
And peers outside.

He sighs a small sigh:
How he hoped they'd stay!
But alas, they always leave,
To place their design upon the world.

He steps outside into the cold,
Grabbing chisel and hammer,
And moves toward the next block
To resume his carving once more.

~ ~ ~

Winter's End
By Rachel L. Warren

The minstrels play
a winter tune
the icicles
drip, drip.
Winter's end
Spring's beginning
the melting
continues.

~ ~ ~

The Minstrel Mistletoe
By Everett A. Warren

ghostly grey the sentinels stand
gnarled stern visages have the knights of old
standing watch 'round through the Winter's cold
fall foliage draped like a tapestry upon the castle floor
boughs bearing bright berries and sprays of evergreen
adorn court held by Holly King and his Queen of Wintergreen
lost in white wisps of deep Winter snows
silent as statues still as the Solstice-tight grip on the land
they listen as each courtier makes their demand
'til from the highest turret arises a song so bold
softens the Lords of Wirth Wind Whirling who cease politics' chore
captures the Ladies of Snowflakes Swirling who listen to the song's elder lore
the minstrel to his lips the icicle he presses
clear and cold like a winter stream the melody flows
warming to his subject as the passion in the music grows
to melt the cold hearts of his King and Queen
the harlequin Mistletoe from spires arose
his song evoking the Winter Rose
this rarest of flowers' fond Midwinter dream
to the warmth of the Heart it directly addresses
and brings forth Peace and Love in all it redresses

~

The Minstrels Copyright (c) 2007 Everett Justin Warren
Winter's End Copyright (c) 2007 Rachel Laurana Warren
The Minstrel Mistletoe Copyright (c) 2007 Everett Ambrose Warren

On Poetry and Other Updatia

Unfortunately, I won't be able to get to the Poetry Circle tonight at the Moravian Book Shop. Too much going on. I do have the one new poem - and another one whispered to me on the ride in. I'll have to see if I have time later to write it down.

Although I have long known this, two of my fellow commuters saw fit to remind me that those funny red signs with the letters S, T, O, and P do not, in fact, mean stop, as those silly DOT folks might want you to think. In fact, they have multiple meanings: the first being: Almost But Not Really Pause and Don't Even Slow Down Because You're More Important Than Those With The Right-Of-Way.

I have several different posts in mind that will help resurrect Pieces of Me - not to mention the ones I had planned to write just before my father was diagnosed, declined, and died. Although that particular series - on religion - was originally planned for the holiday season, I think I'll still get to those posts, but just mixed in with other topics.

Via nea852 (and others!)

Instructions
Go to:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first article title on the page is the name of your band.

2. http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.

3. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover




( Introducing... )