TIME
Nose Dimming, shoulders slooped
A sigh churtles thru his drumming lips
He turns his gaze
Tired eyes scan the others
Now grandsons and granddaughters
Of the Great Illiads: Blitzen, Comet, and Dasher
Memories of Great Rides in the Sky
pass thru, and he lifts his head
A soothing smile as he nods
It’s for Santa to choose
Douglas C. Windsor, Georges Mills NH
RUDOLPH CONTEMPLATES RETIREMENT
My nose doesn’t shine as brightly
and my knees can barely bend
the vet bills are getting costly
and I fear my career must end.
The skies are not safe any longer
since they shot down that spy balloon
and GPS technology is not stronger
than being guided by the light of the moon.
And the hiring rules have gone crazy
with initials all over the place.
Its not that I’m old and lazy,
but did common sense we misplace?
OSHA now has rules for safety listed
in every reindeer stall
and now they have insisted
on foam bedding to soften any fall.
And DEI has entered the picture
which means I might have to hire a cow.
Bucks can no longer be a sleigh fixture
I may have to hire a cat to meow.
Albie, the Albino deer would just glow,
but choosing him I might be called racist.
Bouncy would put on a good show
but censors would probably erase it.
And then I have to deal with LGBTQ
so as not to be labeled homophobic
and in the case of a certain doe a few
would label me transphobic.
See, Randolph, has had top surgery
now called Randy, a doe with antlers removed.
Will Santa accuse me of perjury
or will the she pronoun just leave him confused.
I think I’ll just keep adding to my
Individual Reindeer Annuity
for guiding Santa through the night sky
using my ATM at stops in each community.
And if anyone calls me too old
they will definitely be labeled ageist.
All will do as they are told
and for that I will be called a dictatorist.
So taking all this into consideration
I think my retirement should wait.
I am proud of my occupation,
so that’s the final word, not up for debate.
TTFN (Ta-Ta For Now)
Rudolph
(AKA Dianalee Velie Newbury NH)
CHRISTMAS
We are in the season of Christmas.
Do you hear the silence in the falling snow?
Have you taken time to hear the angel’s song?
Perhaps, you are too busy to let their message
Touch your heart.
Listen quietly, and do not miss the birth of the
Tiny babe born in a manger for a bed.
Do you hear the soft cries of the infant?
Do you hear the brays of the donkey that
Carried the babe in the desert to the stable?
Wherever you are celebrating Christmas,
Remember the lost and the broken.
Spread your love to those who seek peace.
They may not have seen the ‘Star’ in the
heavens or heard the song of the angels.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, ONE AND ALL!
Florence Wiltshire Millett, New London NH
WHAT DID RUDOLPH SAY
I did not retire nor was I laid off!
No board can control, fire then rehire me.
I have been sent by Santa on a mission to China,
to negotiate a deal of great importance.
The pandas have left The National Zoo,
the children are begging for their return.
Be patient, I’m hoping to get them back.
I am doing my best, but the world is complex.
Mandy, a stuffed panda will be yours this Christmas,
Joey, possibly a stuffed elephant.
Real elephants just don’t fit down the chimney.
Parents, a visit to the zoo may be a good idea.
To all of you waiting for Christmas Eve,
look to the sky on a starry night.
A trail of lights glowing brightly is NOT Starlink,
it’s my shiny nose leading Santa’s sleigh.
Remember, as long as there are stories to tell,
Songs to sing and wishes to make for the future,
I will be here.
That’s not fake news.
Mary Blohm, Newbury NH
RUDOLPH TAKES HIS LEAVE
T’was once I led them round the Earth,
Santa’s flying tiny reindeer,
Hauling toys through nights so cold
my bright red nose turned frosty blue.
High through night sky into the heavens
nothing to guide our way,
No GPS, no AAA, no radar screen to lead us on
just the magic of love guiding Santa’s sleigh.
There were times I‘ll admit
that daylight came too soon,
But never did we fail old Santa
deliver gifts by a Christmas moon.
Eons later I’m slowing down
my magic’s lost its spunk,
Old Santa’s lost a step or two
It’s time to pack my trunk.
It’s off to lovely Florida
to soak in some sunshine,
It’s time to let the younger set
bring gifts for Christmas time.
David Balford, New London NH
THE LIGHTBULB-EFFECT
(After the Animagic movie by Rankin/Bass,
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 1964)
Rudolph wakes up sore
to another blizzard
brewing outside his cave.
It is his seventieth birthday.
Clarice is sound asleep
beside him, dreaming
tomorrow’s dreams.
He thinks back to Hermey’s
dentist-retirement party,
his brief elf-speech of:
“I’m done with teeth,
I’m going prospecting
with Yukon Cornelius!”
And Santa’s jolly news:
“Ho, ho, ho! I’ll never retire!
I am immortal after-all.”
Rudolph’s nose begins to glow
like a lightbulb-of-idea;
he whispers in eureka:
“That’s it! I quit!
I miss being a misfit.”
And settles back down
to kiss his doe on her nose.
Amber Rose Crowtree, Grafton, NH
Rudolph’s Announcement
Gather ‘round my friends - Comet and Blitzen,
Come over here Donner, Cupid - where’s Vixen?
Dasher, Dancer and Prancer – all of you guys.
I have some news that will be quite a surprise.
See, I told Santa this morning and he was most shaken
That this is my last Christmas Eve run that I’ll be a-takin’.
For years I’ve been on-call should the weather dictate
That I’m needed to guide you so Santa wouldn’t be late.
With my red nose glowing bright I always led the way
For Santa’s epic evening flight with his loaded down sleigh.
But years have passed and now my nose is runny, not bright
And my legs are sore the next day… well, even that night!
They aren’t as steady as they once were – something I hid,
But last Christmas Eve on a few rooftops I went into a skid.
I thought about this all year long and finally, this decision’s made
My IRA is well funded and my plans are now laid.
I’m quitting, retiring to Aruba to chill in the sun,
Sipping frothy umbrella drinks - never having to run!
So, farewell my good friends, I bid you goodbye
And hope all your flights are in a clear sky.
As Santa says each year on his flight
Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!
S. J. Little, Newbury NH
NATIVITY
If there would be no snow this year
no wassail bowl, no cup of cheer
no silvered tinsel, jingle bells
no glad noels, no ringing knells
No Tannenbaum, no Rudolph’s light
to lead the sleigh through foggy night
no candy canes, no gingerbread
no cookie crumbs where elf men fed—
If, too, the silent nights are gone
as missiles shatter eastern dawn
near Bethlehem, that little town--
instead of peace, despair rains down.
What then is left with trappings done?
How is the hope of Christmas won?
How can we bind up all the rifts?
Where is the sharing, what the gifts?
Beyond fierce strife, love’s stars still blaze:
they open hope to human gaze—
We can still see, through new-born grace
God’s light in every human face.
Joan T. Doran, New London NH
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER RETIRES
Plastic Jesus lies among
the garish elves and ghoulish angels
and I feel ashamed to be a part of this
Christmas commercialism.
When Gene Autry sang
about me I became alive.
Then the hokey movies and
I was just too cutesy.
I can’t stand any more of this.
This is it. I’m done. I retire!
I’ll go back to the North Pole,
drink hot chocolate by the fire, maybe
help Santa and the elves make children
who actually believe in us happy.
But if you don’t believe,
actually believe we are real,
then you won’t see us,
you won’t hear the bells
jingling softly as we fly across
the Christmas Eve sky.
If you’re still listening to me
near the end of my story, I think
you indeed know the true
meaning of Christmas.
Watch the bare trees awaiting snow,
branches open wide, like arms. Pines yearn
for their Christmas adornment. How quiet it is
while the soft flakes fall, how they sparkle with joy.
Although the world is not quiet now,
not everywhere filled with beauty,
here I find solace in silence.
My Christmas lights are stars,
gifts, my blessings counted.
I pine for kindness,
gentleness,
Peace and Love,
Rudolph
Jennie Pollard, Windsor VT
RUDOLPH’S LEGACY
How we give
Matters not
Humans feel
Compelled to give
Something of ourselves
Over and over
Giving dares us to
Reach out
Share a wrapped package
With shiny bow
Walk together through
Snowy woods
Love as much as our hearts
Can hold
Join hands in
Friendship
Spilling into a
Pool of giving
Flowing from one
Smile to another
Kathleen Skinner Shulman, New London NH
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