The Twelve Days of Christmas 2011-12

image from Alex Serban, he says that in Romania, this is the Santa Flower - (Craciunita)

MERRY CHRISTMAS this is the FOURTH YEAR'S celebration OF 'The 12 days of Christmas at Lunch Break' Thank you for celebrating with me

All the prose (ie. story of) 'Anansi and The Twelve Days of Christmas' © gillena cox 2011

DAY FOUR DECEMBER 28TH 2011


Anansi showered, shaved, and got himself dressed for church; then went downstairs to meet Mrs Anansi and the children.They passed through the garden, to get to the garage. Anansi's eyes rested just for a split second on the vibrant red poinsettias and he sighed.
" What's wrong Anansi", his wife asked, and he replied "nothing, everything is alright; lets be on our way, to listen to the Word at church".
A few blackbirds were busy pecking on the pavement, and Mrs Anansi resumed her humming/singing "on the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to meeee...four colly birds...three french hens...two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear treeeeee" .

--Meanwhile in Romania as reported by Alex Serban

at my window
frost-work
and Santa flower



--Also in Romania as reported by Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu

Christmas tree -
the rest of the house
so empty...



--And in Germany as reported by Ralf

breakfast
the twins' parents
ask for white christmas



--And in Australia as reported by Comrade Harps

country town main street
cars pass towards the cemetery -
Christmas morning



And in the USA as reported by Dian Mayr

chur-r-rt chur-r-rt
the jollity of sparrows
in the winter sun



And in Canada as reported by Lorraine Renaud

Blackbird walks
next to snow
on dry grounds


Many religious observers ascribe the four calling (colly birds - blackbirds) as symbolic for The four Gospels

more about The 12 days of Christmas
Listen to the Carol here

Poems and images; remain the copyright of the individual contributors

To participate COMMENT or e-mail me

OTHER INTERESTING LINKS
Listen to Lennox Grey - Around The Christmas Tree
revisit The 2010/11 Celebration Finale here

Condolences

Golden Wattle: internet image

September in Australia
GRAY Winter hath gone, like a wearisome guest,
And, behold, for repayment,
September comes in with the wind of the West
And the Spring in her raiment!
The ways of the frost have been filled of the flowers,
While the forest discovers
Wild wings, with the halo of hyaline hours,
And a music of lovers.

September, the maid with the swift silver feet!
She glides, and she graces
The valleys of coolness, the slopes of the heat,
With her blossomy traces;
Sweet month, with a mouth that is made of a rose,
She lightens and lingers
In spots where the harp of the evening glows,
Attuned by her fingers.

The stream from its home in the hollow hill slips
In a darling old fashion;
And the day goeth down with a song on its lips
Whose key-note is passion;
Far out in the fierce, bitter front of the sea
I stand, and remember
Dead things that were brothers and sisters of thee,
Resplendent September.

The West, when it blows at the fall of the noon
And beats on the beaches,
So filled with a tender and tremulous tune
That touches and teaches;
The stories of Youth, of the burden of Time,
And the death of Devotion,
Come back with the wind, and are themes of the rhyme
In the waves of the ocean.

We, having a secret to others unknown,
In the cool mountain-mosses,
May whisper together, September, alone
Of our loves and our losses.
One word for her beauty, and one for the place
She gave to the hours;
And then we may kiss her, and suffer her face
To sleep with the flowers.
High places that knew of the gold and the white
On the forehead of Morning
Now darken and quake, and the steps of the Night
Are heavy with warning!
Her voice in the distance is lofty and loud
Through its echoing gorges;
She hath hidden her eyes in a mantle of cloud,
And her feet in the surges!

On the tops of the hills, on the turreted cones—
Chief temples of thunder—
The gale, like a ghost, in the middle watch moans,
Gliding over and under.
The sea, flying white through the rack and the rain,
Leapeth wild at the forelands;
And the plover, whose cry is like passion with pain,
Complains in the moorlands.

Oh, season of changes—of shadow and shine—
September the splendid!
My song hath no music to mingle with thine,
And its burden is ended;
But thou, being born of the winds and the sun,
By mountain, by river,
May lighten and listen, and loiter and run,
With thy voices forever.
-- September in Australia; by Henry Clarence Kendall (1841–82)


Condolences to the family and friends of Haiku poet of Australia - Janice M. Bostok(1942 -2011)who died peacefully in the Murwillumbah Hospital on Sunday afternoon, September 4

early spring mist —
in the valley the clatter
of milking pails
--Janice Bostok

The 12 Days of Christmas Sequence 09-10

DAY 12 - TWELVE POINTS OF DOCTRINE IN THE APOSTLES CREED


Christmas presents image From…

♪ ♫•*¨*•on the twelfth day of Christmas•*¨*•♫ ♪

midnight ushers in
Christmas day
beat of tassa drums
--gillena cox; TT
first posted on FaceBook Dec25th
~***~

a toddler rocks
her new dollhouse baby . . .
the empty manger
--Mary Davila
~***~

Christmas is
a time of miracles--
birth of Christ
first posted to words flow and stuff 24Dec 2009
--gillena cox; TT
~***~

three wise men find
the light of the world...
a lowly stable
--Keith Simmonds; TT
~***~

twelve days
after Christmas the moon
still blooming
--Tikkis, Turku, Finland
~***~

traitor double agent
his work
faithfully foretold
+ posted as a comment
--comrade harps; AU
~***~

♪ ♫•*¨*•on the eleventh day of Christmas•*¨*•♫ ♪

snow capped Mt Fuji
arrives on a post card
a new year greeting
-- gillena cox; TT
~***~

travellers in the night
in search of the Prince of peace...
star of Bethlehem
--Keith Simmonds; TT
~***~

♪ ♫•*¨*•on the tenth day of Christmas•*¨*•♫ ♪

joy and praise
to the king of love...
light of the world
--Keith Simmonds; TT

the furl of carnations
bunches of paper pinks
for a doll’s tea party
-- gillena cox; TT
~***~

♪ ♫•*¨*•on the ninth day of Christmas•*¨*•♫ ♪

season of Christmas --
friend greetings
after quite a while
-- gillena cox; TT
~***~

a bright star
shining over a stable...
the Savior is born
--Keith Simmonds; TT
~***~

walking the aisle
to a new life
the bride’s tears
-- gillena cox; TT
~***~

gradations of red . . .
a sight of hope
for the New Year
--Gabi Greve; JP
~***~

longsuffering -
life is
too long
+ posted as a comment
--comrade harps; AU
~***~

♪ ♫•*¨*•on the eight day of Christmas•*¨*•♫ ♪

sleeping undisturbed
cardboard encircling
a homeless man
-- gillena cox; TT
~***~

Icicles
at the window eave -
first sunrise
--Magdalena Dale; PL
~***~

the sun is rising anew
from the snow-covered horizon;
red-crown cranes dancing
--Taro Kunugi; JP
~***~

season of Christmas --
friend greetings
after quite a while
-- gillena cox; TT
~***~

Happy New 2010
--Sakuon Nakamura; JP
~***~

♪ ♫•*¨*•on the seventh day of Christmas•*¨*•♫ ♪

sacred flesh
and the blood of –
vegetarians are the devil’s work
+ posted as a comment--comrade harps; AU
~***~

Christmas eve ~
church overflowing with
once-a-year christians
--Keith Simmonds; TT
~***~

scent of incense
lingers in the chapel...
Christmas morning
--Keith Simmonds; TT
~***~

choir practice
preparing wedding songs for
their celebration
--gillena cox; TT
~***~

♪ ♫•*¨*•on the sixth day of Christmas•*¨*•♫ ♪

from the dust
in his own image--
a creature flawed
--John Daleiden, Avondale, AZ
~***~

the breath of life—
in each creature great or small
a life force
--John Daleiden, Avondale, AZ
~***~

year ending
the blue moon a bright moon
a flat grey sky
--gillena cox; TT
~***~

on a hot sunny day
rain showers--
season of Christmas
--gillena cox; TT
~***~

massive Christmas tree
lighting up the village:
carols everywhere
--Keith Simmonds; TT
~***~

up and down
the Christmas tree
a glass angel
--Jacek Margolak; PL


♪ ♫•*¨*•on the fifth day of Christmas•*¨*•♫ ♪

homes and gardens lit --
that magical feeling of
Christmas now abounds
--gillena cox; TT

falling from grace—
the begats, the garden…
the human struggle
--John Daleiden, Avondale, AZ
~***~

a litany of faults—
teach us how to live
fruitful lives
--John Daleiden, Avondale, AZ
~***~

forgetting this is winter
the green lace
of christmas ferns
---Cindy Tebo; USA
~***~

parang music
mingling with calypso ~
carnival fever
--Keith Simmonds; TT
~***~

outlined in frost
the red leaves of autumn
have yet to fall
---Cindy Tebo; USA
~***~

a reader agrees -
too many books on the same subject
confuse
--Blogarian
+posted as a comment
~***~

♪ ♫•*¨*•on the fourth day of Christmas•*¨*•♫ ♪

each word weighed -
memory and translation
paraphrases
+ posted as a comment
--Comrade Harps; AU


the followers,
Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John—
weaknesses revealed
--John Daleiden, Avondale, AZ
~***~

listen—
hear their stories . . .
read their words . . .
--John Daleiden, Avondale, AZ
~***~

words from Luke’s Gospel --
lights from the Christmas tree
and shards of sunlight
--gillena cox; TT
~***~

paranderos
belting out their songs:
birth of a king
--Keith Simmonds; TT
~***~

The songs in our hearts tell us about peace!
Angelika Wienert; DE
~***~

♪ ♫•*¨*•on the third day of Christmas•*¨*•♫ ♪

trust in the word--
without doubt the sun will rise
and set each day
*
always a light
glowing through the darkness—
Hope
*
bearing gifts--
the moments that touch our hearts
with lasting love
*
cornerstones--
Faith, Hope, and Charity,
the foods of life
--John Daleiden, Avondale, AZ
~***~

a grocery bag recycled--
lunch
is sent to a stranger
--gillena cox; TT
~***~

Santa comes to town...
starry-eyed children
tear open their gifts
--Keith Simmonds; TT
~***~

her gift
again -
another
--Comrade Harps; AU
+ posted as a comment
~***~

while I
unravel the fairy lights
his shining
--Ralf Bröker; DE
~***~

♪ ♫•*¨*•on the second day of Christmas•*¨*•♫ ♪

the flight of doves—
ancient and new stories
generations tell
--John Daleiden, Avondale, AZ
~***~

senior citizens
listening to parang music...
ham pastel and rum
--Keith Simmonds; TT
~***~

stories of wonder,
something old and something new—
the songs of life
--John Daleiden, Avondale, AZ
~***~

invited to a Boxing Day bbq
she feigns
a migraine
--Comrade Harps; US
+ posted as a comment
~***~

roar of motorbikes --
Santas dip into their BIG
yellow plastic bags
--gillena Cox; TT
~***~

A day after Christmas --
Santa Claus
unemployed
--Juhani Tikkanen, Finland;
~***~

♪ ♫•*¨*•on the first day of Christmas•*¨*•♫ ♪

blush of ponsettia
wishing you a
Merry Christmas
--gillena cox; TT
this haiku was first published on my 2009 haiku picture post cards~***~

Circling Evergreens
Christmas day echoes
Carols of God
--Lorraine Renaud; CA
+ posted as a comment
~***~

true love—
the enfolding embrace
of man, earth, and air
--John Daleiden, Avondale, AZ
~***~

mistletoe
upon every door...
love in the air
--Keith Simmonds; TT
~***~

children laughing,
their stockings overflowing--
an empty saucer
--John Daleiden, Avondale, AZ
~***~

Christmas morning
the cat plays
in the cardboard box
--Michael Baribeau; US
+ posted as a comment
~***~

unravelling
fairy lights with my son
roast goose's smell
--Ralf Bröker; DE
+ posted as a comment
~***~

breakfast
and all day
lunch
--Comrade Harps; US
+ posted as a comment
~***~

Christmas morning...
children rushing under
the Christmas tree
--Keith Simmonds; TT
~***~

Partridge peers around
A light snow covers the ground
No pears on the tree
--Quentin Clingerman; USA
~***~

Awaking on Christmas
Remember why He came here
Celebrate His birth
--Michelle Rose; US
+ posted as a comment
~***~

Thanks for making this celebration a success
--gillena cox; coordinator - The Twelve Days of Christmas at Lunch Break

Poets were asked to email before hand or post their haiku gifts here as comments
Poems remain the copyright of the individual writers and should not be used without permission

Religious Symbolism of and music for the Christmas carrol - The Twelve Days of Christmas


Nativity image From…