Thanks for the comments Matt,
I must admit I much prefer the Slade song - "So here it is, merry Christmas,
everybody's having fun..."! But the poem seemed too quiet for Noddy Holder
yelling "It's Christmas!!!" (And I heard it said that Mud used to be a heavy
metal group in Europe - but I'm not sure I believe it! LOL).
I'm letting the way the poem's ending stay a little open to question at the
moment. It might be something I'll decide doesn't work after all...
Bob
>From: "Merritt, Matt - Leic. Mercury"
><[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Pennine Poetry Works <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
>Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 14:02:35 -0000
>
>Hi Bob,
>Very little to crit here, IMO. I really enjoyed it a lot. I'd usually agree
>with Christina on references to poetry in poems, but I think it works
>pretty
>well here. The same with the repetition of "only" - I liked the fact that
>it
>could be read either of two ways, as Sally pointed out.
>I liked the "I don't care" line too, mainly because it is an otherwise
>gentle, nostalgic poem, so this really pulls you up short for a moment.
>The "maybes" in the second stanza are nice too - they work well to blur a
>lot of what is being remembered, and throw the significant moment into
>sharper relief.
>And any mention of Mud in a poem is to be encouraged!
>Regards,
>Matt
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: The Pennine Poetry Works [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
>Of Bob Cooper
>Sent: 11 December 2004 16:33
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
>
>
>At long last, here's a poem for some C&C:
>and, as is often the case, the words between asterixes are supposed to be
>read in italics - they're a snippet from a song by Mud that was in the UK
>charts so many years ago!
>
>
>It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
>
>It was Christmas Eve, we'd all been singing
>and a half-empty half-bottle of Bells
>warmed in my hand in one overcoat pocket
>and your hand held mine in the other
>as our shoes squeaked on the snow.
>
>Maybe you were singing softly - *It'll be lonely
>this Christmas, lonely and cold* -
>maybe I sang too, maybe not,
>that might have been the song that year -
>then under a streetlight you almost slipped
>
>and we embraced, chilled nose to warm cheek,
>and your eyes were clear light.
>I don't care what's become of you
>or of me. We moved on. Only this happened,
>and only for as long as this poem.
>
>Bob Cooper
>DISCLAIMER
>Any opinions expressed in this email are those of the individual and not
>necessarily those of Northcliffe Newspapers, Leicester Mercury Group,
>Northcliffe Retail or Northcliffe Accounting Center. This e-mail and any
>other files transmitted with it are confidential and solely for the use of
>the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient or the person
>responsible for delivering to the intended recipient, be advised that you
>have received this e-mail in error and any use is strictly prohibited. If
>you have received this e-mail in error, advise the sender immediately by
>using the reply facility in your e-mail software. This message should not
>be
>seen as forming a legally binding contract unless otherwise stated.
|