The frost has settled down upon the trees,
And ruthlessly strangled off the fantasies
Of leaves that have gone unnonticed, swept like old
Romantic stories now no more to be told.
The trees down the boulevard stand naked in thought,
Their abundant summery wordage silence, caught
In the grim undertow; naked the trees confront
Implacable winter's long, cross-questioning brunt.
Has some hand balanced more leaves in the depths of the twigs?
Some dim little efforts placed in the threads of the birch?--
It's only the sparrows, like dead black leaves on the sprigs,
Sitting huddled against the cerulean, one flesh with their perch.
The clear, cold sky coldly bethinks itself
Like vivid thought, the air springs bright and all
Trees, birds, and earth, arrested in the after-thought,
Awaiting the sentence out from the welkin brought.
--D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930)
Well, the holidays have come and gone. It's time now to knuckle down and get back to the old grindstone. I've always experienced a type of letdown after the holidays...and right about now it doesn't seem like this year is going to be any different. Already feeling the January blues. I've often wondered why this hits me as it does. Is it because I put so much into the holidays....decorating, cooking, etc....and then it's over before you know it? Or is it just boredom, have extended yourself so much...and now having nothing to do. Oh, I have plenty to do...not just what I want to do. Or is it that winter here in the city seems bleak, cold, and dull having spent my youth in the wonderful countryside where snow was white and clean, the air fresh and crisp? As I sit here typing this, the wind is howling, the sky is gray, and it is brutally cold outdoors. There is a wind advisary for tomorrow. Well, at least it's on Sunday, and I can stay all cozy in my home.
One way I rid myself of the holiday blues is by losing myself in my books. I started reading a good book last night, and haven't been able to put it down...."Medicine of the Cherokee: The Way of Right Relationship." I mention this because lately I have had trouble staying with a book, and it looks like this one is one to keep me engrossed. Winter is also a time when I seek to become closer to my ancestors with rituals and spending time on my family tree. As I look out at this harsh winter weather, I cannot help but think of how it was for them...many years ago.
Wondering if anyone else here suffers from the holiday letdown, and if so, what do you do about it?
Thank you for the lovely poem...
ReplyDeleteOh yes, 'tis the season for that "in the dumps" feeling. Just look around Blog Land.
Maybe the people who thought up "The 12 Days of Christmas" had something there. After 12 whole days of rich, heavy eating/drinking and visiting and dancing and etc. ... Maybe it was easier to return to regular life? >,-)
Yes, I feel the post-Xmas letdown too. I think an awful lot of people do. But it goes away once you get caught up in the ordinary happenings of the day-to-day routine. Wow, that sounds exciting, doesn't it? Ha ha.
ReplyDeleteI think many feel the drop after the holidays... esp. the fact that there seems to be a constant ongoing of holidays for much of the fall til the end of the year then suddenly it is just over... The cold weather definately does not help matters as going outside into the warmth of sunshine has always been something that has lifted me.... I miss the sun during this time and yearn for its more frequent return as well as the warmer temperature...glad to hear you have a good book.... stay warm...
ReplyDeleteI feel it too - but like you, throw myself into a book, or tackle a big clean of the house. Of course, I'm in the midst of moving, so that's distracting me plenty.
ReplyDeleteHappy reading!
Ah yes, the winter blahs.. Actually I am one of those odd people who does not feel a let down after holidays. I look forward to the time when I am not expected to produce the usual holiday cheer and fare because it is expected.. Hmmm, rather odd thing to say I guess. I look upon the winter season (now that I live in North) as a time to turn inward, read (as you mention here, Mary) and contemplate and think ahead to the season of things growing outside. I look out on the snow covered Land and image the seeds of the next season warmly wrapped in the dark moist earth.
ReplyDeleteYour book sounds interesting and I will probably check it out. I notice in the Blog
http://kerrdelune.blogspot.com/
that she is reading a book called Dawn Light by Diane Ackerman .. It looks interesting. From the dust jacket on it is this:
In an eye-opening sequence of personal meditations through the cycle of seasons, celebrated storyteller-poet-naturalist Diane Ackerman awakens us to the world at dawn, bringing into stunning focus a time of day that many of us literally or metaphorically sleep through. Drawing on sources as diverse as meteorology, world religion, etymology, art history, poetry, organic farming, and beekeeping, Ackerman explores dawn’s every aspect from bird and animal behavior, to the incomparable morning light that has long inspired artists such as Monet, to dawn rituals the world over, to the many connotations of the word “dawn.”
Being a person of the dawn I thought I might these writings interesting...
Sobeit