Brought to you gleefully by Diane of On the Alberta/Montana Border.
Joined exuberantly by Delores of Mumblings and Joan (from Devon, who can be found in the comments below).
And me, Jenny O'Donkey, dragging my a- . . . er, never mind.
My inspiration this week came from two sources.
First, the word "cold" kept triggering these lines from T. S. Eliot's poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, which we studied in high school and maybe you did too:
"I am old
I am old
I shall wear my trousers rolled"
I kept wanting to write "I am cold, I am cold, In a blanket I am rolled" and eventually since I couldn't get it out of my head, I decided to use it, with some alteration.
Second, our weather has turned cooler. We had a beautiful September and October, but now the days demand warmer clothing and the heat has been turned on.
So, this week's paltry - I mean poetry - offering:
This Weather Will Feel Downright Balmy In January
It's November
I am cold
In a blanket I am rolled
With a scarf
And a hat
And on my lap a cat
On my feet
As I rest
Are my socks (two sets are best)
A beverage
Steamy hot
With a tot* or maybe not
If it's this cold
In November
How'll I manage in December??
*tot - a small amount of a strong alcoholic drink
*****
Short and sweet and to the point this week, while I rest and mend. Thank you for your kind wishes on my last post. I didn't take any pain medication at all yesterday! That is a step forward :)
 |
No socks. Maybe it's hard to find flipper socks. |
I loved The Love Song of J Alfed. And snippets of it still (decades later) pop into my head.
ReplyDeleteAs I love your far from paltry offering this week. No pain killers? So long as you weren't being a martyr that is a huge plus. Long may it continue.
You know, I didn't even realize until I looked up Prufrock for this post that I've been using the opening line (Let us go then, you and I) in general conversation (with the cats, mostly, but still) for years! It would probably surprise our teachers what stuck with us from their classes :)
DeleteAnd no, no martyrdom here. I'm too much of a wimp for that. It was a relief to stop taking pills.
Cold
ReplyDeleteOnce you touched me
I felt your fingers on my cheek
Warm and gentle
There was no need to speak
We both believed
We were in love...
But last Friday I received
A headed letter
With legal words
That echoed in my skull
Like a funeral bell
For
The freshness grown old
And the warmth that went cold.
Ah yes . . . there seems a thin line between love and hate, just as there is between warmth and cold. Well done, YP. Thanks for contributing.
DeleteOh, my word, Joan! I can just feel the whiff of heartbreak from here!
DeleteNot Joan, Diane - it's the Pudding Man! Still, he's from t'other side of the pond, too . . .
DeleteOops! Sorry Pudding Man! Still feeling the whiff . . .
DeleteLove your weather poetry, Jenny. Take care.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Marie!
DeleteThe cold is coming, and I am bumming.
ReplyDeleteHah! Even shorter and sweeter!! I love it.
DeleteThat was cute! I'm not looking forward to winter. As I get older, I tolerate it less and less. I wish I had the means to spend January and February in a warmer area. By the beach!
ReplyDeleteAge certainly seems to make us less comfortable with the thought of six months of cold weather, doesn't it? :)
DeleteChilly days are ahead....hot water bottles and fleecy blankies are the order of the day. Keep warm and heal fast.
ReplyDeleteYes, ma'am. You too!
DeleteI like this one. It's sharp and crisp like cold.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Red. Your weather's a lot colder than ours right now but our turn is coming!
DeleteI like it! Feel better.
ReplyDelete"One can never have too many socks", ~A. Dumbledore
Great quote for this weather, Linda :)
DeleteNot a paltry offering at all, I really like this poem I think you did well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Jimmy :)
DeleteIt seems you have the first layer of winter clothing installed. Fell asleep on the sofa yesterday and woke up with three cats keeping me warm.
ReplyDeleteThey probably thought YOU were keeping THEM warm. Which is a great symbiotic relationship :)
Delete"First layer of winter clothing" . . . such a true statement, from one who knows winter.
Your poem is adorable. We had a couple of chilly days last winter when Penelope sat on my lap.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Now that would be a bigger lapful than any cat, wouldn't it? All the more heat for both of you!
DeleteShe weighs 41 pounds. My daughter used to have a 75-pound dog who would stretch out across my lap to nap.
DeleteHee hee! That would be something fun to see! He/she must have still felt like a puppy :)
DeleteWe don't get much in the way of winter around here, but it has gotten cool enough at night to mostly close the window in the bedroom. Not all the way yet, but almost.
ReplyDelete-Doug in Oakland
We all have these kinds of measurements, don't we? The number on the thermostat, the gap in the window, the type and thickness of clothes . . . I know exactly what shirts to wear for any two degrees difference in temperature, and it sounds like your window gap is the same :)
DeleteI'm glad you are getting better. This poem is just in time for the cold weather.
ReplyDeleteThanks, John. And, yep, the cold weather is coming for sure.
DeleteNice to know you're mending quickly. We've had a few cooler days here as well.
ReplyDeleteThe world keeps turning, e :)
DeleteBeautifully written dear Jenny!!!
ReplyDeletei laughed over the sock mention as either wear two pair of socks in december .
Here i too had read some amazing poetry of s.t eliot in my masters subjects ,this is also so lovely
It is wonderful to think that some poetry is shared around the world, but unfortunately we did not study anything from your region. I have read the poems you wrote and posted, but nothing else. Hmmm. I shall have to go looking on the internet!
DeleteHi Jenny-we had a couple cold days here but then it warmed up again. It's been a nice fall. I don't believe we studied that poem but we did study "You are old, Father William" by Lewis Carroll. Remember that one? I can only remember that first line but I remember something about Father William standing on his head. Come to think of it, I should show that to BigB and littleb-they will get a kick out of it. I'm glad to hear you are on the mend.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you mentioned that poem; I'd read it long ago but it was fun to read it again. Those old people have an answer for everything, ha ha!
DeleteHello Jenny, glad you're on the mend. I expect you go down those steps very cautiously now.
ReplyDeleteThis week's theme was difficult for me, don't know why. Anyway this is what I came up with.
Cold!
The fire was blazing,
Bright and red.
I was sorry to leave it,
To go to my bed.
The bed was chilly,
When I got in.
Wrapped in the quilt,
Right up to my chin.
Soon enough,
I was warm and toasty.
Dreaming,
Of tropical climates mostly.
Upon waking,
And feeling quite bold.
Leaving my bed,
Going into the cold.
The fire was out,
It was totally dead.
I resisted the temptation,
To go back to my bed.
Shivering with cold,
I cleaned out the grate.
With flying ash settling,
The room was a state.
Re-laying the fire with paper,
Kindling and coal.
Thinking of the months ahead,
When this will be my role.
That's it!
I've had enough!
Of the cold and the mess
And the ash covered stuff.
I made an appointment,
And saw a nice man.
He's going to do it
As quick as he can.
Changing from coal to instant,
Was my greatet scheme.
Now every morning I wake up,
Living in my dream.
Hope you have a better week.
Joan (Devon)
What a difference it would make to have automatic heat rather than wood or coal! I grew up with wood and coal stoves, so I understand what is involved with that kind of heat. An excellent take on the prompt, Joan.
DeleteAnd yes I am even more careful on the stairs now. If I'm any more careful I will have to stop using them entirely :)
A-ha! Finally I get time to come back around and find Joan's poem! (I'm teaching again and I think I'm trying to do more with less these days. It takes me twice as long to prepare my lessons!) For three years, Husby and I (and four kids) heated solely with a wood stove. It was the warmest I've ever been! He would stoke the fire at 6:00 AM and damp it down so it smoldered the whole day, then replenish at 6:00 PM and that would last all night. He was away once and I tried to do what I saw him do. Yeah, he came home to find me and the kids sitting on the front porch because the fire was so hot our little house was unbearable. And it was -20 (C) outside! ;)
DeleteI just realized I got sidetracked by reading all of your comments and didn't comment myself! Absolutely great poem! *Shiver*
ReplyDeleteHa ha! I've done that!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're on the mend (instead of on the meds). And now I can't get "I am cold, I am cold,in a blanket I am rolled" out of my brain!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Just desserts for the things you've put in my brain! lol
DeleteLOL! Fair enough. Payback's a.. well, you know. ;-)
DeleteHa ha!
Delete