Sunday, January 4, 2009

Monday night 1/5/09 - "Twelfth Night Gift"

"TWELFTH NIGHT GIFT"

Twelfth Night or Epiphany Eve is a festival in some branches of Christianity marking the coming of the Epiphany, concluding the Twelve Days of Christmas, and is defined by the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary as "the evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking".

My mother used to love to have "Twelfth Night" parties. She loved entertaining and that was a favorite party date. In memory of my mother, here is a "Twelfth Night" gift for you.

THE GIFT

A gentle calm - still, quiet air descends

Falling like a silent coverlet of snow

Swathing in beauty the ordinary raiment of daily fare

Powdering crystalline the empty syllables and commonplace replies


The school-taught, teacher-learned, man-made words are hushed

As phrases featherlight as snowflakes drift about
Preparing a special link of thoughts and words

Meant to say - be joy, be peace, be love


The gift to you is you, that closest and most sure of all

Listen! As if listening for the flutter of a far-off bird

Watch! As though watching for that first bright evening star

Feel! As though floating, drifting inward to your own


Falling through yourself - that self-made door
Cascading through into the inner universal light
To that place of purest feelings felt

Within the deepest core rests the whole


A masterpiece of symphonated sound will greet your inward ear

A portrait pulsing with profoundest hues will touch your inner eye
You are the work of art beyond the hand and ear

The essence of all masters put to real


Joy, peace, love - not letters ranged in rows

But self-essences to know

They are met within - at eye-blink reach

To touch, to see, to feel, to be
Prayer Girl

7 comments:

Hope said...

Beautiful.
I've been in that place,
momentarily -
and have never felt such peace.

Akannie said...

Thank you for a beautiful birthday present...both the poem and the history!

PS--I am 56 today....but don't tell anyone! lol

Anonymous said...

Anna I loved this

xxmary

Shannon said...

yea! thank you

J-Online said...

How beautiful. Thank you PG.

Jess Mistress of Mischief said...

Beautiful!!! Thank you for the wonderful gift!

Kathy Lynne said...

you know, this is the first time I've understood what the heck twelfth night was. Must be that whole going to church thing. I love the idea of a party.