Monday, December 20, 2010

Tuesday Poem: Alicia Ponder

Running away with a Christmas sonnet
by Alicia Ponder


Go kiss your prince beneath the mistletoe
And hang those stockings high above the hearth
For Christmas is the one day you can show
The greatest love of all and peace on earth

Still, I wish you would take your Christmas cheer,
Pack the day with bows and loving care
And bundle it so far away from here
And don't you mention Grinches, don't you dare.

For while the thought of presents makes some sing
And has the children dancing round the tree
Christmas makes me wish more than anything
That I could wash my hands and be set free -

Just wander off, enjoy the sunny beach
Forget the rules, and
lie
in the sun-drenched
sand.


Thanks Alicia for your poem. I love the way it slips out of of structure, and into a languid free-form where content and shape take on a perfectly relaxed ease... even sweeter to my eye no doubt, because I'm about to follow suit, and climb out of my rhyming couplet work life!

Alicia is a Wellington-based author and a regular on-line Tuesday Poem contributer. You can find more of her poems on her blog: anafflictionofpoetry.blogspot.com

Alicia's poems and prose also feature in 'Caught on Canvas', a popular art book about Wellington, and she has published several short stories in the School Journal, with more to come out next year in various places, including Australia. When she's not writing or coaching at Hutt Valley Fencing Club, she sometimes finds time to review the latest books at Rona Book Shop, relieve at Hutt Valley High School, and provide a taxi service for her two children.

2 comments:

  1. oh I loved that because during the first few lines I was murmuring under my breath...oh, christmas...why can it not let me alone..

    very good. I like it.

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  2. Cheers Cadence and Fifi, I hope you both enjoyed your Christmas break and look forward to seeing more of your work during the year. :)

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