Tags
Christmas, David Galler, dVerse Poets Pub, Edward Lear, holiday, James Joyce, kangaroo, Pablo Neruda, partridge, penguin, Poetics, poetry, St. Stephenâs Day, Thomas R. Smith, wren, Yule
Hello, everyone! Welcome to the last edition of Tuesday Poetics before we go on break for the holidays!đ˛ Melissa here, from Mom With a Blog. When you think of December weather and the holidays this time of year, what animals come to mind? Many have been assigned to this season, whether rightfully so, or not. Here are a few:
Although assigned to it, penguins donât really have anything to do with Christmas anywhere. They have become associated with it because of their (mostly) cold habitat, and they can be seen donning red Christmas hats and adorning Christmas cards and the like. There are eighteen species of penguins in the world, including Galapagos penguins, which are the only penguins found north of the equator, on remote volcanic islands.
âMagellanic Penguinâ by Pablo Neruda
Neither clown nor child nor black
nor white but verticle
and a questioning innocence
dressed in night and snow:
The mother smiles at the sailor,
the fisherman at the astronaunt,
but the child child does not smile
when he looks at the bird child,
and from the disorderly ocean
the immaculate passenger
emerges in snowy mourning.
I was without doubt the child bird
there in the cold archipelagoes
when it looked at me with its eyes,
with its ancient ocean eyes:
it had neither arms nor wings
but hard little oars
on its sides:
it was as old as the salt;
the age of moving water,
and it looked at me from its age:
since then I know I do not exist;
I am a worm in the sand.
the reasons for my respect
remained in the sand:
the religious bird
did not need to fly,
did not need to sing,
and through its form was visible
its wild soul bled salt:
as if a vein from the bitter sea
had been broken.
Penguin, static traveler,
deliberate priest of the cold,
I salute your vertical salt
and envy your plumed pride.
Partridges are medium sized birds, bigger than quails and smaller than pheasants. They are native to Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Partridges can be found in a variety of different habitats including forests, grasslands, and plains. You wonât, however, find them in a pear tree, as in the popular âTwelve Days of Christmasâ song. Natural historian Stephen Moss believes there might not have been a pear tree to begin with, that the song originally mentioned âa partridge and a perdrixâ, the former referring to the English partridge and the latter to the red-legged, or French one. According to National Geographic, there are 56 different species of partridge.
âThe Partridgeâ by David Galler
Excessive coition
Marks off the males;
Their acquisition
Of mates entails
Fierce competition
Which so depletes
That often the loser
To sex submits
And conqueror
Accommodates.
It was believed
Desire tormented
Femalesârelieved
By the winds that vented
Male odors believed
To make them pregnant.
Toward his brood
The male is malignant,
Finding its crude
Fawning repugnant;
Soon after birth,
Their mother conceals
The young. Their worth,
Even in shells,
Was such that earth
Or procryptic crust
Was of no avail
Against the lust
Of a childless female
Scouring the dust.
What kind of note
Recalls the snatched
To their nest but
To be redispatched?âŚ
It seems by rote
Partridges allâ
At the very first
Tremor of footfallâ
Covered with dirt
As for burial
Freeze on their backs.
Well aware
Of his virtue and lackâ
The cunning desire
To live on the rack
Of perversityâ
Man, first and last,
For his bride-to-be
This bird once castâŚ
In a pear tree.
(from Poetry Magazine, June 1966)
So, what do kangaroos have to do with Christmas? Or winter holidays? Here in the United States, nothing. In Australia, however, there are tales of kangaroos leading Santaâs sleigh. There is a Christmas carol about them (see below). As the story goes, because Christmas fell in the summer in Australia, the weather was too hot for the reindeer. Santa subbed them out for kangaroos! You might even catch Santa on a surf board.
âSix White Boomersâ Song Lyrics by Rolf Harris
Early on one Christmas Day, a Joey Kanga-roo,
Was far from home and lost in a great big zoo.
Mummy, whereâs my mummy? Theyâve taken her a-way.
Weâll help you find your mummy, son. Hop up on the sleigh.
Up beside the bag of toys little Joey hopped,
But they hadnât gone far when Santa stopped.
Unharnessed all the reindeer and Joey wondered why,
Then he heard a far off booming in the sky.
View full lyrics here.
âThe Duck and the Kangarooâ by Edward Lear
I
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo,
âGood gracious! how you hop!
Over the fields and the water too,
As if you never would stop!
My life is a bore in this nasty pond,
And I long to go out in the world beyond!
I wish I could hop like you!â
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
II
âPlease give me a ride on your back!â
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
âI would sit quite still, and say nothing but âQuack,â
The whole of the long day through!
And weâd go to the Dee, and the Jelly Bo Lee,
Over the land, and over the sea;â
Please take me a ride! O do!â
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.
III
Said the Kangaroo to the Duck,
âThis requires some little reflection;
Perhaps on the whole it might bring me luck,
And there seems but one objection,
Which is, if youâll let me speak so bold,
Your feet are unpleasantly wet and cold,
And would probably give me the roo-
Matiz!â said the Kangaroo.
IV
Said the Duck, âAs I sate on the rocks,
I have thought over that completely,
And I bought four pairs of worsted socks
Which fit my web-feet neatly.
And to keep out the cold Iâve bought a cloak,
And every day a cigar Iâll smoke,
All to follow my own dear true
Love of a Kangaroo!â
V
Said the Kangaroo, âIâm ready!
All in the moonlight pale;
But to balance me well, dear Duck, sit steady!
And quite at the end of my tail!â
So away they went with a hop and a bound,
And they hopped the whole world three times round;
And who so happy,âO who,
As the Duck and the Kangaroo?.
The Eurasian wren is one of the smallest birds in Europe. However, it is known as âking of birdsâ. In Great Britain and Ireland on St. Stephenâs Day (the day after Christmas), it was tradition to hunt and kill wrens. Or, in some versions of the ritual, the birds were killed on Christmas Day and buried in tiny coffins. This was followed by a procession through town, where bachelors called âwren boysâ visited each house asking for food and gifts. There are numerous tales about the traditionâs origin. One of the most wide-spread throughout Europe is The Election of the Bird-King, first mentioned in Aesopâs fables. In this story, the birds compete for the title of king by seeing who can fly highest and farthest. All the different kinds of birds take flight, and, one by one, each drops out of the race. The eagle is last in flight, and ready to land, when out from under his wing emerges the wren, who flies farther. And so he is king. Hunting the wren is thought to ensure fertility and prosperity for the coming year. Wrens are also associated with Yule.
âThis Heart That Flutters Near My Heartâ by James Joyce
This heart that flutters near my heart
My hope and all my riches is,
Unhappy when we draw apart
And happy between kiss and kiss:
My hope and all my riches â - yes! â -
And all my happiness.
For there, as in some mossy nest
The wrens will divers treasures keep,
I laid those treasures I possessed
Ere that mine eyes had learned to weep.
Shall we not be as wise as they
Though love live but a day?
âBaby Wrensâ Voicesâ by Thomas R. Smith
I am a student of wrens.
When the mother bird returns
to her brood, beak squirming
with winged breakfast, a shrill
clamor rises like jingling
from tiny, high-pitched bells.
Whoâd have guessed such a small
house contained so many voices?
The sound they make is the pure sound
of lifeâs hunger. Who hangs our house
in the worldâs branches, and listens
when we sing from our hunger?
Because I love best those songs
that shake the house of the singer,
I am a student of wrens.
Originally appeared in KINNICKINNIC by Thomas R. Smith, Parallel Press, Madison, WI, 2008. Used with permission.
Now that you have perhaps learned something new about one (or more) of these miracles of nature, Iâd like you to consider your poetic prompt for today. Choose one of the following two options:
- Select one of the above traditional characters and write a poem from the (first person) point of view of said bird or marsupial. Imagine you are one of these. What is it like where you live this time of year? How does Christmas factor in to your life, or how do you factor into Christmas? Perhaps you object to being associated with a holiday, or have just learned of the association and are filled with incredulity. Whatever you celebrate, or if you donât celebrate, feel free to write about anything, incorporating the creatureâs point of view.
- Select one of the above and write a poem from the third person point of view, describing how a poem might talk with or interact with said bird or marsupial. What tone does the poem take? Is the poem skeptical about why a kangaroo is associated with Christmas? Is the poem concerned for the animalâs welfare in the current climate crisis? Does the poem attempt to convince the wren to revolt against the very ones who so wrongly incorporated it into the holiday season? Again, feel free to write about anything, using the dialogue between poem and creature.
Here are some poems (including a couple Iâve written) you might reference as examples of the second option: âBetter late than never,â; âI Said to Poetryâ; âThatâs odd,â; âThe Poem Saidâ. Feel free to use these or any of the poems showcased in this post as inspiration!
If youâre new, here is how to join us:
- Write a poem in response to the prompt.
- Enter your name and a link directly to the post containing your poem into Mr. Linky. Remember to check the box to accept use/privacy policy.
- Read other poetsâ work as they enter their links into Mr. Linky. Check back as more will be added.
- Please link back to dVerse from your post.
- Have a wonderful time!đ
Melissa Lemay said:
Hello all! Happy December! Today weâre writing poetry from different points of view. I hope you enjoy the challenge! For snacks, we have a holiday charcuterie board with olives, tomatoes, prosciutto, salami, and various cheeses â help yourself! We also have bacon-wrapped dates. Looking for something sweet? There are gingerbread muffins and homemade fudge of many flavors. We also have hot toddies and a drink called the Drunk Reindeer: hot chocolate with chocolate liqueur and vodka, topped with a cherry, whipped cream, cinnamon sticks and chocolate shavings. Of course Iâll get you whatever else you like. Canât wait to read what you come up with!đ§Ą
BjĂśrn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
That sounds so delicios.. the tapas with some delightful cava would be perfect.
Melissa Lemay said:
Here you go! Enjoy!đˇ
BjĂśrn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Good evening… I am nor sure I did right by the prompt but I had fun. The story about the wren sounded so strange and tragical.
Melissa Lemay said:
Iâm glad you had fun! My poem is a bit morbid but ⌠you know thatâs not unusual for me.đ The wren thing, I donât get it either. Poor birds.
BjĂśrn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Mine is more silly I think.
Melissa Lemay said:
I loved yours.
Grace said:
Thank you for hosting Melissa. I had fun with this prompt. The menu is so appetizing – I will try gingerbread muffins and hot chocolate with liqueur and vodka. Yummy!
Melissa Lemay said:
Youâre welcome! I am happy you had fun.â¤ď¸ A muffin for you and some hot chocolate.âď¸
Grace said:
Thank you!!
dorahak said:
Hi Melissa and gang! Wow, is it Christmas already?! I see a delicious feast before my very eyes and would love to have some homemade fudge with hot tea!! Thank you for the wonderful prompt, Melissa. I had a little fun with it and hope you enjoy it. đ
Melissa Lemay said:
Glad you enjoyed! A sampling of fudge and some tea for you.đŤ
dorahak said:
Thank you!
Laura Bloomsbury said:
Hi Melissa – I’ve just burnt my soup so the charcuterie board is most welcome with a strong measure of rum
you gave us a great choice of creatures and the Neruda Penguin poem really said it all so I chose the Wren instead and use first person plural
Melissa Lemay said:
I love your poem. Iâm glad you enjoyed the prompt. And enjoy the snacks and drinks.đĽâ¤ď¸
Colleen M. Chesebro said:
Interesting challenge! I like it. I will have to explore my pagan roots and the wrens! Way to go, Melissa!!
Melissa Lemay said:
Yes! Please do. I wasnât able to find much association with the others to any other holidays. Except for the wren, which is associated with a few different ones. I learned some new things! I especially loved the kangaroos pulling Santaâs sleigh.đ
Colleen M. Chesebro said:
Thatâs really cool! I love learning new things like this. Iâll work on it tomorrow. â¤ď¸
rog said:
hi poets
i read about the god of fools tradition a while back. in Georgian England on the 13th day of christmas the lord of the manor would pick out his lowest servant and instruct him take his place for the day. all kinds of tomfoolery and mayhem would follow for the day.
not sure if my poem fits it is this fool having a bit of fun.
catch with a read when i can
rog
Melissa Lemay said:
Hi Rog, thanks for joining us.đđť That sounds like an interesting tradition!
rog said:
Thanks
nonsmokingladybug said:
Beautiful pictures. Happy Holidays
Melissa Lemay said:
Happy holidays!â¤ď¸đđť
kim881 said:
Hi everyone! We just got back from an evening meal (so no snacks for me thanks) and looking at the Christmas lights in some of our local towns and villages. I’ve just linked up and look forward to reading poems from the point of view of penguins, partridges, etc.
Melissa Lemay said:
Hi, Kim! That sounds festive, I hope you had a great time.đ
poetisatinta said:
Great prompt Melissa đ
Melissa Lemay said:
Thanks! Maybe youâll join in?!đđť
poetisatinta said:
Hi yes – just did I couldn’t resist it đ
pandamoniumcat said:
Oooh nice prompt and thank you for the addition of the kangaroos, my spirit animal lol! đ
Melissa Lemay said:
I thought of you and some of my other Australian friends when I made this prompt.đ
marialberg said:
Hi Melissa,
Thank you so much for this inspiration. I’ll try that Drunk Reindeer please.
Melissa Lemay said:
đđťHi Maria! Thanks for stopping in! One Drunk Reindeer for you.đ
marialberg said:
Yoohoo! đŚđş
pvcann said:
Naturally I chose the roo đ Thank you for the prompt Melissa đ
Melissa Lemay said:
You are welcome, Paul.âşď¸