Two Poems for the Dark Time of Year
Carson Valley folks LOVE holiday lights, but they usually wait until after Thanksgiving. As we drove to our favorite sushi place, we spotted TWO Christmas trees already sparkling in front windows. ON VETERAN'S DAY, for Pete's sake. We can only chalk this up to people's need for winter lights to boost their spirits in this dark and troubled world. At least half the population of the U.S. fears for their personal safety after this last election, and a portion of the other half is having serious doubts about their decisions. As the anticipated mayhem of the coming year presses upon us, let's keep those winter lights aglow until the sunshine fully returns.
That One House
For a short time each year Houses glow and trees pop Through the dark Bedecked in colors bright Garish and bold Breaking the somber threat Of winter death. They pierce the gloom Force the dampened spirit To rise above the clouds Ascend the hate, despair, Wanton greed that worms Its way into the soul. For some there is a limit Taking down the lights Storing them away To face the new year's barrage Of sorrow and rage. Then there's that one house The old couple at the end Of the block Who tack them up and let Them shine and gleam For all to see and delight For months to come With the gift of winter light.
One Lone Pine
I reach through the car window, placing newspapers on country rails. Houses slumber, curtained in gloom. Eerie neighborhoods haunted by ghosts waiting to ambush. Miles of mountain lanes twist around dour redwoods sodden with rain bending their limbs to water-logged earth, swallowing the glow of headlights. Over a hill it springs up ablaze. Multitudes of lights blur on the rain-dappled windshield. One lone pine glows in a coat of winter solstice glory Pierces the moonless night frightens all demon shadows severs my nightmare’s grasp and sends me onward with courage restored.
Buda and the Cauhape’s wish everyone a bright and healing holiday season. Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and cheers to all in your winter celebrations.
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All my books, Paradise Ridge, When the Horses Come and Go, and Ghost in the Forest are currently available on Kindle. Ghost in the Forest, is also available in paperback. Paradise Ridge is out-of-print, but the Kindle version is re-edited and better quality.
Book Review of Ghost in the Forest:
"Ghost in The Forest' is a great read! Take note People. If you love stories about environmentalism and nature, its clash with urban mindsets, as well as personal transformation, this is the book for you!
"Ghost in The Forest" is a quick 126-page read. It's the story of Dori, a woman trapped in a mix of grief over parental loss and refusing to accept how her hometown and her friends have changed over the years. Because of this, Dori has become a recluse and a self-imposed misanthrope who finds more comfort amongst the hiking trails around her hometown of Morristown than in her dealings with the raw reality of other humans.
The book, in some ways, resembled Edward Abbey’s “Desert Solitaire” in that the story follows a protagonist's love of nature and angst about humans encroaching on it. In this case, it’s how Morristown is transforming into a mountain biking destination where cyclists run rampant on trails and nature.
However, a tragedy involving said mountain biking becomes a major pivot point for Dori, leading to a series of events that eventually bring about personal evolution and discovery.
If you're a nature lover, this book is a must-read. It beautifully portrays the clash between environmentalism and urban mindsets and the journey of personal transformation. The book's vivid descriptions of nature and the protagonist's love for it will surely intrigue you.
Paradise Ridge Review by western author D. B. Jackson:
If you draw circle roughly around an area that includes northern Nevada, southern Oregon, and southern Idaho, within that circle exists a culture and people who live a lifestyle largely untouched by modern values. These are the "buckaroos" and Basque characters author Sue Cauhape brings to life in her literary novel, "Paradise Ridge".
Leandro, the illegitimate seventh son of patriarch Xavier Arriaga and his mistress, Gisela, is at the center of this intriguing story that travels exceedingly successfully at both the personal level of the characters, as well as the compelling level where the story is told.
Cauhape writes in a literary style that reminds me of Annie Poulx. Paradise Ridge, on the surface, appears to be an upscale Western novel...once inside the pages, you will soon discover a potential classic waiting to be discovered.
I rated this book a 5...because that's all the stars there were.
"One lone pine glows in a coat / of winter solstice glory / Pierces the moonless night / frightens all demon shadows." I love the idea of keeping our bright colored lights up all year as a beacon of optimism and unity. For four years... Let's start a movement.
What lovely poems! Thanks for sharing.
My neighbors across the street leave their Halloween decorations up all year. That's right, skeletons year-round. At least they cloth them in seasonal robes, like the Santa duds they wear now.