Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Xmas
















She dares me
not to play follow-the-leader.
Why eat a cold buffet
with proper credentials,
but no champagne? I scrape
the plate; abandon the leavings.
Wear a Napoleon hat.
Beat to quarters. Jump.
Hold my nose, let go.
Free fall into generosity.
Resign to be overcharged,
risk jeopardizing my credit rating.
I prefer a bid in writing, sign
a treaty with the indomitable Lady. 
Hers is not a day, but a state of mind.




Tess Kincaid
December, 2010



Would you like me to read it to you?


65 comments:

  1. Maybe we all need to re-evaluate!

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  2. "Free fall into generosity" Now that's what I need a few folks to do around here! Generosity of spirit is order of the day.

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  3. Derrick beat me to it, but I just love the phrase "Free fall into generosity." Great one Tess!

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  4. When you create Christmas in your mind, we all win! (The best purchase I've made so far is a goat from Oxfam! Giving feels so much better than getting.)

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  5. "Hers is not a day, but a state of mind". Love the colors here. Beautiful and thoughtful.

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  6. Following the leader is rarely a good idea.

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  7. Oh, I hope you didn't free fall into generosity. Bake some of your awesome cookies or something instead, Tess!

    What a great poem. It is indicative of the pressures we all sadly feel, this time of year, isn't it?

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  8. Christmas rules at our house:
    Less is more. Hence we just laugh and eat a lot and just have a heck of a lotta fun.

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  9. I love this. It is a state of mind.

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  10. Why indeed no champagne. Downright barbaric.

    A nice piece, Tess, about embracing the freedom that resides in our hearts rather than outside in cold reflections.

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  11. Yes, it truly is a state of mind. This piece of stained glass artwork hangs in my kitchen window year round as a gentle reminder.

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  12. Daigu, a champagne state of mind is definitely in order!

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  13. An eloquent way to express personal belief and the taking of a leap of faith. cheers

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  14. that i believe is a dare i would take...smiles. free fall into generosity really struck me...nice

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  15. So many have said this, yet it took me by the hand too --

    "free fall into generosity"

    wonderful, wonderful..

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  16. Yes, it's hard not to take the plunge.
    I love that stained glass window!

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  17. This is the essence of Tess!

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  18. Great write for Xmas...jumping in--it is all or nothing...it is that time of year everyone wants my Signature....I feel famous ....while the music is playing....amen...bkm

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  19. love the last line. couldnt get the voice thingy to work.

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  20. I'm certain that Willow is not one to follow the leader. Keep that wonderful state of mind!
    -Gio

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  21. So much here. I had to read it a couple of times. Not a day but a state of mind - nice capture!

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  22. It is a total state of mind. I am not doing it this year. This year I am changing the way we do things. Year after year we jump in with wild abandon. The cost is too great otherwise and it doesn't even come close to expressing the sentiments I feel about those I love.

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  23. Usually the later One Shots get fewer comments than the earlier ones, but that's NOT the case here.

    That fact highlights the quality of this piece, Tess. Well done!

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  24. Enjoyed your spoken version, and the sharp commentary as well.

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  25. Very neat poem, Tess. I, too, like 'Free fall into generosity'.

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  26. Dear Tess: Poignant rendering of the reason for the season; "free falling into generostiy" is "a state of mind"; Love. The stain glass iconic image and sure and steady daily reminder of Love's purposeful intent! Thank-you for this needed reminder!

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  27. I definitely won't "free fall into generosity" this year. At last, I'm really penniless, with almost two years of unemployment, my half pension and social security aren't enough. I've emptied my savings and spent two hours yesterday at Consumer Credit Counseling. Never thought, at 66, my life would come to this. It's a Christmas poem and little else this year - a move on the horizon for the end of Feb and who knows what the new year will bring!!

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  28. Whoa!! A lot said here! At the end of the day, Freedom rules!!!
    But sometimes, one has to compromise a bit (for what/whom, I really wonder)!

    Very well writ, Tess!
    Kudos..

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  29. And how hard it is to resist the follow-the-leader free-fall into generosity this time of year. There is so much 'buy me, buy me" all around us.

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  30. me too..." free fall into generosity"

    pretty incredible writing, my friend

    so HAPPY to see you today...i would love the icecelcus ( can't spell it )...they might make it here...we finally turned cold...at least for us here...with storms all lined up out in the pacific..headed right here...get out the wooly socks !!!!

    sending cozy love,
    kary and teddy
    xxx

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  31. Just to clarify my take on "free fall into generosity", as well as being "overcharged", I intended it to be a state of mind, not necessarily a financial condition, a pledge not to be stingy, but generous in lovely intangibles!

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  32. I love one of the last comments
    you made, whereby you plan to
    be /generous in lovely intangibles/
    for there is the crux to Christmas;
    and your poem somehow is
    cynical yet hopeful, reverent yet
    irreverent, prodding us to both
    remember the reason for the
    season and still not be lemmings
    to marketing and Madison Ave;
    You look at the incredible stained
    glass piece in your window, at the
    frozen and frigid landscape, and
    still you find plenty of warmth
    inside, you poetically and realistically
    walk that tightrope of now, and
    without abandoning the spirit
    of the holidays, for your mistress
    arms are open so very wide,
    you remind us to wear our
    galoshes and scarves, and
    possibly drop a dime on that
    Popsicle in the stocking hat
    that stands next to the red
    bucket outside Safeway, shaking
    that tiny bell. Thanks for the
    buckeye beacon in this fog
    of carols and commercials.

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  33. The generic title reinforces the perspective. The spirit of giving is still there however.

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  34. Read this a different way, at first (despite the title). Still, I love the lines that seem to appeal to everyone "Free fall into/generosity" and "Hers is not a day, but a state of mind."

    I found this beautifully complex. Rather like the indomitable Lady.
    Thank you.

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  35. What a great poem! I haven't yet gotten into the season, but this certainly does make me feel more generous!

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  36. Warming up for Christmas,it certainly is, cookies and cakes! In the current cold spell it's most welcomed. Excellent!

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  37. I can think of a free fall I see at the holidays, while shopping... I'm sorry, I think that was a free for all. IF only more would look to the generosity rather than the comercialism of this holiday season. But for those of us who do share these feelings, thanks for the uplift.

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  38. Thanks, for your beautiful comment, Glenn, I can always count on you to "get" my poetry. :)

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  39. I imagine that the colours of the stained glass always add a sense of brightness. Inside the home, the light of day casts its sacred warmth and outside at night, the light inside would cast a magical glow from this window.

    It is as if this physical feature has been given a spiritual parellel in your poem. If only our own colours could be so sacred and pass to and from us so freely!

    A beautiful post!

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  40. Perceptive piece, Tess.
    And interesting that we all spend so much money trying to mimic our old Christmases which cost next to nothing financially, you cant buy 'wonder'.
    'Nollaig Shona' (Merry Christmas) to you and all your family.

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  41. Amazing write for Christmas, thanks for sharing with us !

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  42. This is really a great take on this.

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  43. Resign to be overcharged - that's Christmas for sure! Good Magpie.

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  44. You have captured something here, an essence perhaps?

    I am having a giveaway on my blog and hope that you will join in.

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  45. what a heartfelt tale.
    stay cozy,
    Merry Christmas!

    I sent you an email, let me know your response...thanks.

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  46. I really love the way you have put the emphasis on her. Love the lind 'hers is not a day but a state of mind' I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas. :o)

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  47. You should write cryptic crosswords!
    Reading the comments is as entertaining as the original poem and of course I read into it my own philosophies. Thus I find irreverence co-esisting with respect for conventions, some of which you select for the fun (and the community).

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  48. What a wonderful message. I love your poem.

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  49. Yes! It's all a state of mind. Nice piece, to be sure.

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  50. Willow,
    A state of mind that has persisted for over 2 thousand years.
    rel

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  51. Tess,
    This is so beautiful, and hearing you read it brought a tear to my eye. My deepest respect,
    Kev

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  52. After all the shopping and decorating and making ornaments and xmas cards and mailing and shipping-- and still have baking and wrapping to do it really does seem like a wild rodeo at times-- so your poem is right on...

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  53. A state of mind....so very true...another amazing poem...hope you have an awesome Christmas Willow!

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  54. Greetings!
    Here is the end of the year awards 4 you, enjoy!

    End of The Year Awards 4 Friends of Jingle or Jingle Poetry Community

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

    At this magical time of the year, we wish you all the BEST! U Rock!

    Link a poem to our potluck today, Keep your grace updated all the way! xxx

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  55. Greetings!
    Here is the end of the year awards 4 you, enjoy!

    End of The Year Awards 4 Friends of Jingle or Jingle Poetry Community

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

    At this magical time of the year, we wish you all the BEST! U Rock!

    Link a poem to our potluck today, Keep your grace updated all the way! xxx

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  56. "Hold my nose, let go" dive in but keep from drowning...think I went a different direction in interpretation, ...Love that stained glass.

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  57. Dear Willow,
    Heard your voice for the first time today. And
    You sounded just the way I imagined.

    Merry Christmas...

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  58. Very insightful and made all the more relevant for being heard in your own voice. Lovely.

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)