My Winter Letter to one and all:
Merry Holidays!!!
Whatever or Whoever you worship this Solstice Season, do so with gaiety, reverence, joy—whatever is appropriate to you and the deity/deities you worship. I hope it’s a time of Great Joy, even in this time of Covid.
I am still writing, mostly poetry. Had the marvelous opportunity to see & hear a new (to me) poet, thanks to the wonders of Zoom—Arthur Sze. I became enthralled with his work and ordered the book they were selling before the reading was over, The Glass Constellation: New and Collected Poems (from the last 5 decades of his writing) and have seen a marked change in my poems. I hope for the better ;-). And for those of you who know me, here is the shocker of all, I bought a Hardback, with 521 pages of poetry! (Last year’s purchase of Lucille Clifton’s Collection out did it, though. She had 720 pages in that book!)
I have been asked to be the featured reader for the Yakima Coffeehouse Poets in January (I think it’s the 12th). If any of you are interested in attending via Zoom, please let me know. I will be reading from my books and newer poems. I’m hoping I can attend in person, if so, we will also be zooming to the audience who can’t make it. Then, again, it may all be zoom. Hello, Covid, and welcome to my neighborhood.
Speaking of my poetry, I am pleased to tell you that my latest book, The Bride’s Gate and Other Assorted Writings has two offerings that have been nominated for a Pushcart this year—the poem, “Mary Oliver Wants to Die When It’s Raining,” and the short fiction, “Dream Time.” Since the book is a collection, it also has “Russell Fehmer’s War,” a short story I wrote in homage to the old tv show, Soldiers of Fortune staring John Russell and (Fehmer) “Chick” Chandler. That story was nominated a few years ago. I loved that show. I was a freshman in high school when my mother remarried, and we moved to Seattle where I became a 9th grader in Junior high. Now, many thought that being a ninth grader I was top tier, but I thought of it as a demotion. I’d been a freshman in a REAL high school Ah, the vicissitudes of teenage life & angst.
Anyhow, I hurried home after school to watch, and escape into, Soldiers of Fortune. I now own the series, and I must admit, it doesn’t hold up nearly as well as, say, Columbo. Still, I had a teenaged crush on the two actors. 😉
The photo on my card is one I took at sunset. I just thought it was a nice photo. With no religious significance. I don’t even remember when. The poem, Darkness Framed, on the other side of the page, was published in Quill & Parchment in October 2021. Alas, I don’t have a photo to illustrate the poem.
Wishing you all the best for this marvelous Holiday Season, and remember, if YOU don’t want that fruitcake, you can always send it my way. Not, mind you, that I need any more calories, but I’ve never, ever, met a fruitcake I didn’t like.
With Love, Hugs, and a gazillion Pupkisses…
Photo on Card:
Poem on back of Winter Letter:
Darkness Framed
—by Lenora Rain-Lee Good
Darkness hides the fallow meadow,
the trees naked of leaves,
until the motion detector
catches a deer in its lens;
what was hidden
is now seen in ghostly colors
bleached by bright patio lights.
The timer clicks inside and the walls
no longer soft purple of twilight
now reflect the blinding white of
sun-stroked winter’s snow.
No coverings at the glass,
the white walls frame the stark
landscape of night in muted colors.
The deer, alien to my world, and I
stare one to the other and wonder
if we’d really like to trade places.
Books Read This Year:
74 and reviews begin on http://lenoragood.blogspot.com
My ten most Favoritest:
Humans of Climate Change —by Kaden Hogan NF
Thinking About Thinking —by Margaret Randall NF
Reparations Now! —by Ashley M. Jones P
The Glass Constellation, New and Collected Poems —Arthur Sze P
Relax and Enjoy Your Food —by Craig Good NF
Magnified —by Minnie Bruce Pratt P
frank: sonnets —by diane seuss P
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents —by Isabel Wilkerson NF
Occoquan —by Gary Worth Moody P
Taro —by Blue Spruell F
NF = Nonfiction P = Poetry F = Fiction
My 10 most Favoritest (mostly Netflix) Movies & Series:
Hospital Playlist —Korean series
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay —Korean series
Chocolate —Korean series
Itaewon Class —Korean Series
Navillera —Korean Series
Home to Heaven —Korean Series
Sense8 —US Series (Same people who brought us Matrix)
Lucifer —US Series
My Octopus Teacher —Netflix Documentary
Paper and Glue —MSNBC Documentary
Winter Holiday Quotes
(from https://chatbooks.com/blog/holiday-quotes)
“May your walls know joy, may every room hold laughter, and every window open to great possibility.” —Mary Anne Radmacher
“Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.” —John Boswell
“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.” —Dale Evans
Sammy sends pupkisses and I send hugs and smiles and affections to you all.
Auntie Lenora and Sammy Brave Dog
Thanks for the plug, Lenora!