Sunday, December 16, 2012

35 Years of Christmas Poems: Christmas 2012

I admit that the idea that I've now done Christmas poems for 35 consecutive years absolutely boggles my mind. Each year I wonder where the new idea is going to come from and it never ceases to amaze that they continue to come. I also get to enjoy the creative aspect of taking pictures to go with the poem and make the work a complete vision.

This year, an idea that actually came to me several years ago and centered upon "ornaments" finally came to fruition. Utilizing a pure dictionary meaning of the word to open the poem took me into uncharted lands; the surprise was that it also gave me a structure that brought the full intent home.

The times today challenge in ways that are sometimes unimaginable if not unbearable. We need to highlight the abundant beauty to make it flourish and grow around and about us. The joy of Christmas is that it is a reminder of the light during the darkest time of the year in the Northern hemisphere. Choose to keep the light alive no matter what. That is the greatest gift we can offer and receive.



Christmas 2012
by
Richard Perrotti

Beauty is where you find it,
The saying eternally goes.
In your eyes, it multiplies,
Flourishes and grows.

Ornaments can be but a bauble,
Caught by the eye, quickly glanced,
Attracting unusual attention,
By shimmering sparkle enhanced.

Placed in most mundane surroundings,
Any ordinary item transforms
Into something wondrous and special
As our interpretation reforms.

Any prize, “ornamentalized,”
Captivates your attention with light.
When finding that flame in another,
Something sacred within you ignites.

Step back and look all around you;
Take notice of what you see.
Is it a forest of human misgivings
Or a glimmering family tree?

One who looks for such light in the world
Will find what seems out of place.
For one who’s capable of seeing such things,
Reveals his true beauty and grace.

Be the change you wish to see in yourself.
Know it’s true value, it’s worth.
Intentionally granting this gift to yourself
Is a treasure you tender the earth.

Choose to see what beauty surrounds you
In myriad forms of disguise.
Celebrate your own that shines from within;
Ornamentalize!