Rowland Hilder trees
pepper the landscape
and last week’s snow drifts
still lie in the shade
of the drystone walls
of the Yorkshire Dales
Farmers bring out feed
for the hungry sheep
kids complain now schools
have reopened
but coming Christmas
buzz is in the air
Householders spaff light
in competition
to claim the prize for
showiest display
of unnecessary
Xmas symbolism
and “Once upon a
midnight clear” is lost
to light pollution
and so for Twelve Days
each village will glow
with Christmas fever…
How should we weigh up
cultural tradition
against the cost to
the environment
– consumerism
out of all control
Let’s strip it all back
to the heart of things
remember that love
is of the essence
and all we need to
light up our landscape…
© Andrew Wilson, 2025
Over at dVerse Poets Pub, Laura Bloomsbury in Meeting the Bar: Critique and Craft, invites us to paint a poetic tableau using a fixed poetry style entitled The Tableau – created by Emily Romano in October of 2008
Poetry Style:
5 beats/syllables per line
1 or more verses
6 lines per verse
I appreciate the reference to the capitalist shadow over the celebrations.
Not an original complaint, but with all the trouble in the world at present, Petru, it needs saying again – there is trying to carry on with normalcy and there is burying your head in the sand…
A large part of Christmas is the push to simply buy more…. I feel that now even people in their early twenties reject gifts, mainly because they already have everything or simply don’t need to have anything before they have a place to live.
I have great difficulty responding when people ask what I want as a present – not super rich but I feel I have everything that I want – except perhaps a book deal lol…
a thought provoking tableau – and we don’t need a Grinch but a return to real tradition where mammon does not rule! As you say in the poem:
[back] “to the heart of things
True enough, Laura…
You have covered the Seasonal scene very well, Andrews. You are right love is all we need to light up the landscape.
Love and some Christmas adornments
Happy you dropped by my blog
Much♡love
Competitions can ruin the spirit of the exercise in stringing up lights. As if we don’t face enough competitions during ordinary days. Lol.
Beautiful poem. It covers all aspects.
Thank you Cai…