As Christmas approaches every year, I worry about all the things to do — send cards, buy presents, mail packages, make travel plans. I feel overwhelmed.
Here is the poem I wrote a couple of years ago to express my frustration. It is in the classic villanelle rhyme scheme.
Jingle Bell Villanelle The ads and frantic shopping never cease, Salvation Army Santa clangs his bell. I seek, I crave, I yearn for sacred peace. I make a list of ev’ry aunt and niece, And smile at clerks with merchandise to sell. For two whole months my shopping does not cease. Music blares of swans and laying geese, All twelve days of Christmas ring and swell. I hide my ears and yearn for sacred peace. The piles of presents steadily increase, But advertisements beckon and impel Me back to stores; my shopping does not cease. Advent waiting morphs into caprice. I wish I could audaciously rebel Against the frenzy stealing sacred peace. I need a quiet moment of release, Escape from season’s harried buying hell, But ads and frantic shopping never cease. I seek, I crave, I yearn for sacred peace. * * * * *How are you coping with this holiday season?
