in the square candles
glow inside the wooden huts
lighting up bright gifts,
toys, candy and hand-made quilts,
could be Santa’s town
the smell of chestnuts roasting
cups of mulled wine too
and for the little children
camels for a ride …
all around play Christmas songs
smiling families browse
at Arco’s winter market
walking in the crowd
fond memories drift to me
other Christmases …
when we once walked hand in hand
drinking wine and browsing too
© G.s.k. ‘15
Carpe Diem Special #186 Georgia’s 2nd “days of Christmas” (choka)
The choka is one of the most ancient Japanese forms is the world of “waka” … they were rarely written out in the beginning, they were sung and usually were about warriors or kami or epic events. Time passed and the form congealed until it became common to end the choka (which could be a long as one wanted but following a 5-7 onji pattern throughout) in two last 7 onji … thus creating a new form – what often called “waka” which we now call tanka. So, the tanka is the ending of a choka (as well as a completed “renga” line I suppose), only very few people write choka anymore. Here’s Chèvrefeuille’s great example of how to write a choka:
the cooing of pigeons
resonates through the gray streets –
ah! that summer rain
refreshes the dried out earth
filling its scars
the perfume of earth tickles
my nostrils
after the hot summer days
I dance in the rain
naked on the top of the hills
I feel free at last
nature around me comes to life
field flowers bloom
I see their beautiful colors
the perfume of Honeysuckle
ah! that summer rain
the perfume of the moist soil
tickles my senses
I lay down, naked in her arms
surrounded by Honeysuckle
© Chèvrefeuille
A delight for the sense memory.
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Thanks my dear sir … memories can be so wonderful can’t they .. but also a little melancholy.
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🙂 It’s part of the depth and breadth of memory, for sure. 🙂
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Yes, of course you’re right about that!
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Hooray! I’ve been waiting to see the market 🙂
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Oh my! Did I say I would put up something about the Christmas market? I’m afraid that if I did, I forgot … though on Silent Sunday I did post two pictures of the Christmas market train 😉 https://bastetandsekhmet.wordpress.com/2015/12/06/silent-sunday-december-6-2015/
This weekend I’ll be taking a day trip to Innsbruck and hope to come back with some interesting Christmas market photos, I’ll think of you when I post some of them (hopefully with perhaps a Christmas story or poem)
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That would be lovely 🙂
PS I forget everything so don’t let it worry you 🙂
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Thanks for your understanding Richard. 🙂
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No worries 🙂
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Soft – with a sadness at end….
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Nice description indeed.
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By the way, I wrote a different version of this choka on Poet’s Corner and I think it’s much better.
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A lovely choka, Georgia.
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Thanks Celestine.
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ah! that summer rain
the perfume of the moist soil
tickles my senses
One gets the natural feel of nature’s best. Wonderful lines and great choka Georgia!
Hank
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I must agree with you Hank, I also find Chèvrefeuille’s choka splendid!
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I enjoyed my stroll through the market!
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I’m happy you did Dolores, it’s not one of the big fairs like in Bolzano or Trento but it holds it own nicely for such a small town. 🙂
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Christmas feelings … caught in a wonderful choka Georgia. I like those opposite feelings, because that’s (in my experience) the real feeling of Christmas. Looking for peace all over the world, but in reality the sadness of several wars and streams of fugitives looking for a better life outside their countries torn by war and terror.
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Yes, special holidays like Christmas which are dedicated to peace, joy and happiness do create mixed emotions don’t they. One wonders at times how it is possible to ignore the reality of life, the homeless, the fugitives from war, war itself and of course ones personal tribulations and throw oneself into what would seem to be the manic folly of these holidays … and yet, the oasis of happiness relieves many from the weight of the world, at least for an afternoon.
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“when we once walked hand in hand” –
great line in an incredible choka.
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Thanks … I wasn’t completely happy with it though, so when I put it up on Poet’s Corner I changed it a little … if you’ve got a moment, perhaps you might read it and tell me what you think.
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you make us feel as if we are strolling through the market with you
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Thanks Candy .. glad you felt like that 🙂
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powerful.
🙂
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This is beautiful, would be lovely to experience I’m sure–and I did get a bit sad at the end.
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Ach .. sorry about the sad …
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No need to be sorry, sad is just part of the mix called life, eh? 🙂
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So wonderfully done, Bastet — I envy your skill at this form.
Feeling under the weather tonight but I hope to try the choka soon.
Much love —
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So sorry you’re under the weather … hope whatever is ailing you passes on quickly! Hugs
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Thanks — doing a lot better today. Still a bit “meh” though
Thanks for the hug!
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I try to avoid malls and department stores this time of year for obvious reasons…no joy is found in those places but stress; your choka brought back to life the joy, anticipation of people gathering, children and camel rides…how sweet an image is that? ending with such melancholy…ma chère, ouf, je pense à toi dans tes souvenirs de joie et mélancholie. x
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Well, as you know, when a loss is so new, one tends to be visited by the ghosts of the past and that may be sad, but it’s not a destructive sad if you know what I mean. Btw I usually avoid malls and department stores during rush hours at anytime of the year .. I’m not fond of crowds –
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Yes, I do understand…bittersweet memories. This time of year I hear my mom laughing, singing Christmas jazzy songs and the kids looking at their Christmas list on the fridge door hoping Santa will get some of their requests. I do not like travelling during traffic either…the beauty of working late evening shifts. During rush hour, I call all the commuters a bunch of Yahoos…most don`t know what I mean when they push and shove. Guess they never read Gulliver’s Travels 😉
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Tell the truth, I read Gulliver’s travels in the children’s edition as a child in English and a translated full edition in Italian so I had to look up Yahoos … that was quite an eye opener! And thanks for your understanding Cheryl-Lynn.
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Thanks for the link! 🙂
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Your words conjure up pleasant memories for me!
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Ah , this makes me very happy … thanks Mark for telling me, you’ve jst made my morning a little brighter!
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