Christmas Every Week: Twelfth Night
Arnold Kellett’s poem offers a bright promise in the aftermath of Christmas.
From the partridge in the pear-tree
To the twelve drummers drumming,
It's all over now:
Down with the decorations,
Prickling the fingers
On holly and spruce tree;
Pack up the baubles,
Collect all the cards,
Then away with the manger.
How bare the rooms look!
How boring our food seems,
With lingering remnants
Of dreary cold turkey!
For a while we have lived
Like millionaires,
Like Lords a-leaping,
Cocooned from the winter,
Immune from all time:
Now, down to earth,
But not with a bump:
Gently, thankfully,
Peace m our hearts,
Our spirits refreshed,
Facing the future,
Knowing that whatever will fill
The diary's blank pages
The cheerful chaos of Christmas,
As certain as death,
Will lighten our darkness once again.
