Through the holidays
a gift from Grandma
holds a place of honour
on our Christmas tree
It's no ordinary ornament...
We're convinced that in our sleep
it comes to life
spreads peace
and Christmas joy
while keeping our home safe
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Pace be the plume prime of a horse,
Austere man’s leanness, girl’s shyness,
Brahmin’s knowledge, king’s forgiveness,
Valour, whose arms be the sole force.
____________________________
Translation |26.10.2024|embellishment, horse, girl,
Poet’s note: Sanskrit has thousands of verses of wisdom called Subhashhitam. Bhatrihari was elder brother of the renowned king Vikramaditya of Ujjain. He had two queens: Pingala and Padmaakshee. He loved Pingala immensely but abdicated the throne and left for forest when he found that she loved another man on the hide. A learned man, he gave wealth of literature in Sanskrit. Among them: Shringara Shataka, Neeti Shataka, Vairagya Shataka, and Vijnana Shataka. This verse is one of his brilliant creations. The transliteration of the Sanskrit verse follows:
Javoh hi sapte paramam vibhooshhanam,
trapa anganaayaah, krishhataa tapasvinah |
Dvijasya vidyaa, nripateh api kshhamaa,
paraakramah shastra-balena jeevitaam |
I sat and watched as it continually banged it's head into the window pane, that fly.
My cat sits on the cill and swipes out at the fly as it buzzes around his head,
But he missed and knocked over a china vase instead.
The fly seemed startled and goes round and round the light.
It's buzzing is driving me crazy, it's becoming such a bore,
So I open everything I can and the fly goes out of the door.
An ornament fell
Quickly to the floor
An angel object
She holds a lantern
Held held high in her hand
When the angel fell
The lantern came off
When the angel fell
I grabbed the scotch tape
Now the angel fixed
She is good as new
Twinkling
Little Ornament
Sweet around Ornament
My delightful little buddy
Small like stone
Smells daises
Ornament
Oh she of many lovely looks and names
reflects the golden glories of the day.
Her mythic face points to the western way
an intrepid mascot for freedom's winds
this flying lady lives well out in front.
Seeing her heading across these vast skies,
a vision of an ecstasy divine,
adornment to the delight of deities.
Oh she, the figurehead who we admire
a shining seer seeing journeys ahead
keeping all of us far from fear and dread.
She who holds my love wears a bonnet badge
on the bowsprit of my heart while we
float haplessly away in fantasy.
Free Verse Sonnet 14 Lines 98 Words 12/7/22
This is a colored pencil portrait of my wife Jean
as a young woman ( artwork by G. Gaul).
It tells of how she navigates life and her influence
on me. The ornament on her sun hat represents
hood ornaments on automobiles and figureheads
on vessel bowsprits used as symbolic help to see
the way clearly.
Favorite ornament?A snowman couple made out of Christmas balls,
A bit of stiff taffeta and a silk skirt on Mama Snowman
A tiny blue jacket on Daddy Snowman
A miniscule red gift box ties them together
It used to be grandma’s, and I loved it on her Christmas tree.
It made me feel safe, somehow.
I imagined the snowmen were angels, masquerading as snow people
I dreamed that they checked the house at night, keeping us safe
When grandma passed, I was asked to name something I wanted.
Without hesitation I wanted her snow couple ornament.
She had hidden it away, it took us two months to find.
Wrapped around them was a strip of material with my name on it.
I want to be an ornament when I grow up the mouse said.
Did he want to be on the side of green or red?
Holly voted for green Santa wanted him on his team.
The relatives laughed; grandma said that would be a pipe dream.
What if I just hung out in the tree and did not take sides at all?
He hung out happily in a Christmas tree shopping mall.
The youngster was wise, the oldsters in the family said.
For not choosing green and not choosing red.
The Christmas ornaments were all a tizzy.
The parade was about to start.
What excitement! What fun!
Let the competition begin!
The winning ornaments would be put on the Queen’s tree.
The queen arrived and the judging began.
I love that one! And that one and that one!
And those two! Yelled the queen.
Christmas had never had a queen like this one.
She was joyful, easy to please, and optimistic.
People in animal town talked about her wisdom for years.
All of the Christmas ornaments were put on the tree!
But which one was the prettiest? The children asked.
Their optimistic grandmother smiled at them and whispered,
“They were all the prettiest. That is why she picked them all.”
The grandchildren nodded, knowing that she was the queen.
I always considered you littered my home,
Small knickknacks adorning overcrowded shelves.
The marble statues you bought from lovely Rome,
I leave them there, a memory of ourselves.
And in gay Paris, you just went mad with joy
Those miniatures saucers, jugs and a vase,
Insisting each was her special lovely toy,
Dainty trivialities, there's no more space.
But without Limoges, can one live a true life?
She packed them carefully thus to take back home.
Porcelain I had to pay for my dear wife,
How tired I was, each elegant shop to roam.
Such charms, rings, bracelets, miniature houses
Lured by magnetic charms, earrings and pendants,
From Upim*, Milan she bought tens of blouses
At Lafayette, I waited in attendance.
She's left me with all these little ornaments
Beautiful up to a point I must admit;
Shall I cherish them for what each represents?
Give to charity or leave them in my writ?
NB Upim is a superstore in Italy.
Maybe it's me,
But my pages are flipping
Towards the end of my story book
And a new one is about to open
With hands drawn in pair
With bracelet around it both.
hang you ornament
from your tree
but don't you shine
until you hear
from your maker
fall
then remain fallen
it is my turn
I am Alma
ANTIQUE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT
An old-fashioned bell that Grandmother send.
Her last old antique Christmas ornament.
Rounded bell, with recessed grooves,
so out-dated, yet still to use.
Place me high upon your tree.
Hang me low for all to see.
So those who come can appreciate me.
I thought you'd toss me out of sight
when your children unwrapped me
that Christmas night.
But with a caring touch,
a tiny bobby pin,
you attached to my top
like a chosen friend.
Each Christmas I held you in my hand
you transported me to another land,
where Grandmother lives
and Grandmother smiles.
Then I remembered you
as I did as a child.
Gingerbread men with candy canes,
forgotten stories with old family names.
Grandmother's thoughts are now from above.
More important than things,
for she left them with love.
Janet Marie Bingham
piercing opposition
female mutilation
adorningly so
***
G-rime serves no purpose,
I-t instead makes you gray;
N-ever touch the dirt,
A-ugust twenty-sixth Saturday.
L-ies will never please
Y-our ears and your mind;
N-ever listen to them, though they sound sweet and kind.
B-ed of roses of the sinner
U-ses not the fragrant scent;
E-very iniquity is
N-either use nor
O-rnament.
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