~Annie Lennox
photo by Leighton Ramos
According to the ancestry info my mom gave me at Thanksgiving, I'm 21% Scottish/Irish.* Not a ton, but enough to appreciate a good jig. Here's a poem I first shared in 2014:
Reflections On a Scottish Christmas
by Johnny Cunningham
The dark of winter wraps around us tight.
The lamps are fired, and flickering light
beats time to the fiddle as notes float
softly down, like the years' first snow.
While outside the window
a blast of late December wind
whistles harmony to the drone of the pipes.
We push the old year back against the wall
so we can dance a jig for Christmas
and welcome in the new.
* Updated 9/2020 to be 43% Scottish. (Do these sites know what they are doing?)
Buffy Silverman has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Buffy!
I am part Scottish also. Thank you for sharing "Reflections on a Scottish Christmas." It's a new to me poem. Tabatha, I hope you have a joyous holiday!
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing you could enjoy the jig even without your 21% Scottish/Irish heritage (my spouse, on the other hand, is at least 50% Scot/Irish and has not a jig of jig love inside!) Happy Christmas jig to you.
ReplyDeleteOh, this is lovely....so homey and real. I was perusing pinterest yesterday and saw a meme that made me laugh out loud...it was an "old Scottish proverb" which may be true. I dunno. "The older the fiddle the sweeter the tune. I'm keeping that one in my pocket for today. Wishing you a fabulous holiday with lots of time for poetry.
ReplyDeleteTabatha, this line from the poem you shared resonated with me: We push the old year back against the wall. What a beautiful way to acknowledge passing time. Thanks for the tune also. It is lively and puts me in the mood to dance a jig while baking today.
ReplyDeleteWill join you in your jig. I'm Irish since I married a leprechaun, and Scottish because I eat a lot of shortbread. Thanks for the Cunningham poem -- perfect for this week!
ReplyDeleteOh, fun! I have a fair amount of Scottish in me too (though I don't know the percentage) and this made me feel right at home. :)
ReplyDeleteI loved the images in this poem, musical notes like snow and the wind whistling harmony to the pipes. Beautiful poem. Thank you,
ReplyDeleteI love this line: "We push the old year back against the wall..." It feels that way to me. Thank you for this poem and music! I hope you have a wonderful holiday... dance and be merry!
ReplyDeleteHimself is also Scots English, so a reel and a jig is a perfect end to the week. May your holiday be merry!❄️
ReplyDeleteI'm ready to dance, let's go! Thanks for the rollicking music and lovely poem! :>)
ReplyDeleteEven in the tropics we're feeling the "dark of winter" tonight! Happy Solstice!
ReplyDeleteIt's so lovely to listen to the Chieftains. They are an essential part of Christmas around our house. I love that this poem captures everything about this time of year that I love!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the poem and for the Chieftains! I love their music, and the way the bells are woven in is all kinds of perfect!
ReplyDelete[24-stomach bug took me down on Friday night and postponed our Solstic dinner by a week--so I'm just getting to PF]
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, yes...your reruns are 100% new to me (but then I forgot that I had my parents' fondue set in my garage, to their conSTERNOation, as they frantically searched for it), so it's possible I'm getting to enjoy them all over again! Daisy's favorite off of FINE LINE is also "Adore You," while I am partial to all the fruity ripe ones: Golden, Watermelon Sugar, Cherry, Sunflower. Music is just the best, eh?
Dancing a jig on this lovely Boxing Day morning. I'm 100% (or should I say 100 proof?) Scottish. Hope you had a lovely holiday, Tabatha!
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