The Maple’s Sanguine Lament
Lamented the maple upon an autumnal zephyr
Don’t just stand there. Help me! Help me!
All the blood has rushed to my leaves
Can’t you see; look, I’m flashing bright carmine
Soon enough, I’ll have dropped all my sanguine
The evergreen shook its verdant boughs in disapproval
You complain, complain and bellow
So what; you’re puce, the oak yellow
Oh my, Red, but you are the drama queen
All I ever get to wear is dark green
The maple inflated its foliage upon the next gust
You’re missing the point, needled one
Call them flame, russet, rubicund
Once they fall; the wind’s had its evil fun
To lasting death, and for good, I’ll succumb
The evergreen chortled with a growing northern
Look here. You’ll take not your last breath
To sleep you’ll fall, not to your death
Shed every last sheaf of bright vermillion
It’s to bed for you, clad in white woollen
The evergreen stilled then, gave the softest of whisper
To sweet dreams, not the hereafter
You’ll rise with the rain’s pitter-patter
Oui, mon arbre, you will last out the polar
Awaken with spring, to bloom and to flower
We have shifted meteorological gears quite suddenly after a very slow-paced autumn. As I would have it. The weather persisted mild while the wind slowly amplified itself, and until with little notice we went from a gloriously long second summer, into a rainy, but not too torrential, late Fall. Lots of bouts of dry; so getting out there for a walkabout was still possible each day. Now on cue, the thermometer has dropped below zero. Celsius. Don't worry my Amerikin Hivelanders, the White Wall has not been breached; the Walkers are not on the March to King's Landing, but Winter has most definitely come.
We did not get the 20 cm they were calling for in downtown Vancouver, just a very manageable 5 or so, but there is no end to the cold in the forecast and few more days calling for snow. Hopefully we will get enough to do some sledding and perhaps build me a man.
A blast from my snowman building past.
In the mean time I am enjoying the bright, clear blue skies and the sharp stars at night; going for a nice long walk each day or some skating at our local rink, and embracing the Christmas spirit.
The city is getting its halls, and now mostly bared trees, decked and festooned, lit up and shawled in ice crystal white. Our abode too is decorated. The knick-knacks out and leaving barely a surface clear for a glass of homemade egg nog. Snowmen, Santa's, Penguins, and a Christmas Village has brought the living room to life. The advent calendars are readied and our herd of elves on the shelves begging to be hidden. Five, we got five.
I had to break it to my son that maybe most days, only one elf will hide.
5 x 25 = 125 hiding places. I think we are going to need a bigger place.
We are just finishing up our fractions unit in Math. We spent the last 5 days running an imaginary baking, which called for some real baking, all low carb, sugar and grain free. First it was a cranberry cake with the icing I had left over from my first attempt at Cranberry Bliss Bars. Japanese pumpkin gave most of the weight and texture to the cake. Our place smelled divine with warming cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. We did a little denominating and then numerating, finished the icing, and dug in. Lots of left overs. In my house, cake for breakfast is not unusual. Cake and coffee. Come on!!!
I have more treats to tell you about, but we have a big weekend of events coming up; I will be one busy house elf. After hiding my pointing ear type kindred about, I must twinkle my toes into the kitchen and make some more chaffle mix for a second attempt at those cranberry bliss and some Yule logs. And cookies of course.
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Words and Images are my own.
The Maple's Sanguine Lament is published in Monsters, Avatars & Angels.
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