Friday 14 December 2012

Xmas Filler

I haven't done one of these for a while. None of the ideas seem right. Or rather, they seem right when I have them walking alone through the streets of Norwich in the dead of night: cold red hands clenched in too-thin pockets; hat-brim pulled down to shield my eyes from the hail; mind full of ideas, songs, memories, philosophical musings and accurate skewerings of people who have annoyed me at work. It's just that when I sit down at my computer the following morning (oh, all right, afternoon, whatever - the period immediately after waking up) the ideas that fizzed and sparkled from my mind's keyboard the night before feel heavy and forced and I have to spend an hour playing chess with random strangers in the hope that I might win one and feel better about myself.

I like to treat my readers to an Xmas poem, but I'm running out of time and haven't written one yet, fortunately my archive has come to my rescue with this winter-themed haiku. Whenever I do a haiku post, I like to give a little fact about these lovely Japanese poems. Everybody knows the syllable count, and way back in 2009 I told you that the plural of haiku is haiku, but did you know that a true Haiku should reference the weather?

A Winter Haiku

Like snowmelt, a friend
Departs. Beauty lost may not
Return next winter.

Anyhow, enough of the Xmas cheer. Tonight, I face another night of office party pub crawls and choristers on their way to carol services and people, faces red with the chill of the December night, asking if we do mulled wine. Think of me if you are out tonight and offer the barman a drink. And remember, when he says, "Thank you, I'll take a half of Guinness," the correct response is: "Have a pint."