Monday, January 2, 2017

Haibun

                                                                                                        
                                                      A SWISS VILLAGE CHRISTMAS

On a Saturday before Christmas, Kris Kringle visits our village.  Tall and slender in a dark red suit, reminiscent of pictures on old European Christmas cards.  He carries oranges and peppermint sticks and lumps of coal.  The children wait quietly.  Well mannered, there is no pushing and no whining.   Their last chance to prove how good they have been. 

                                                             gently falling snow—
                                                             a child whispers to Kris Kringle
                                                             and holds out his hand

Holiday decorations are few.  Wreaths in shop windows or colored lights.  Nothing elaborate.  Snow provides the best decoration.  And the moon, illuminating snow covered fields and woods.

                                                              Christmas Eve—       
                                                              searching the stars
                                                              in a blue-black sky
                                                   
There is a midnight Mass, and the small wooden church is crowded.  The responses in prayer are smooth and in unison.  No laggards here.  We all sing or try to.  Familiar hymns in Latin or English become unfamiliar in French.  I hum along.

                                                               flickering candles—
                                                               the joy of Christmas
                                                               in a foreign tongue


Bottle Rockets, spring 2006 #14

4 comments:

Warren said...

Wow - I love this, Adelaide. You are a weaver of wonderful images with your words. This sounds like the kind of Christmas I would prefer over the crass commercialization we have today.

Warren

Adelaide said...

Thanks, Warren. It was quite a change from the big city Christmas of Los Angeles.

Adelaide

Bill said...

Lovely, Adelaide. Wish I had been there.

Adelaide said...

Thanks, Bill.

Best wishes for a good 2017.

Adelaide