Moments of Calm

How has the last few days been for you? Lots of last minute running around, shopping and gift wrapping.  If the weekend has disappeared in a blur and you are feeling more frazzled than festive, then I hope you may be able to find a moment or two of calm as you read this beautiful Christmas poem by Charles Causley  I have written recently about how much more I seem to enjoy reading poetry at Christmas.  Even if there isn’t time to read a book,  there is always time to read a poem.

At Nine of the Night I Opened My Door

At nine of the night I opened my door
That stands midway between moor and moor,
And all around me, silver-bright,
I saw that the world had turned to white.Thick was the snow on field and hedge
And vanished was the river-sedge,
Where winter skilfully had wound
A shining scarf without a sound.And as I stood and gazed my fill
A stable-boy came down the hill.
With every step I saw him take
Flew at his heel a puff of flake.

His brow was whiter than the hoar,
A beard of freshest snow he wore,
And round about him, snowflake starred,
A red horse-blanket from the yard.

In a red cloak I saw him go,
His back was bent, his step was slow,
And as he laboured through the cold
He seemed a hundred winters old.

I stood and watched the snowy head,
The whiskers white, the cloak of red.
‘A Merry Christmas!’ I heard him cry.
‘The same to you, old friend,’ said I.

Thank you to everyone for their very generous comments and warmth shown towards both me and my blog this year.  It makes me so happy to realise people read and enjoy the things I share.  2018 has been a year of growth and looking to the future for Changing Pages.  I am excited to create more content and things I hope will continue to inspire and inform in 2019.  For now, I wish you all, where ever you are, a calm and peaceful Christmas time.