Christmas Day, December 25th, 2023. I woke up this morning all cheerful. I couldn't wait to report important financial numbers to my company's leadership team. Then, I couldn't wait to sit down at my desk writing this for you. As I type this, it is nearly noon and I still have not opened my Christmas gifts. I realized as I stood here so content warmed within by a cup of Vienna roast coffee that it wasn't the Christmas gifts which excited me about Christmas Day. It was waking up with a sense of fulfillment. I guess I am always going to be one of those "odd" people who wake up on Christmas morning and get more excited about working or accomplishing than material things. As I stood here thinking about what poem to choose to read aloud for you I made a decision to choose a poem about the frailty of life and its shifting seasons. I provide more insight this time, for those who like to explore the meaning of things written or said. After all, what is life without the meaningful?
"So Much More Than Snowflakes" got published in 2020, right at the commencement of ironically a world pandemic, the tenth poem in my book of poetry "A Poetess' First Flight." I used snowflakes as a metaphor for human life experience. As most of you probably already opened your Christmas gifts by now, I hope you enjoy the arrival of my gift to you as well.
So Much More Than Snowflakes
poem by
Carmen A. Cisnadean
Flakes crowd in a frenzy
Capturing the light Into their sweaty palms,
Urgently persuading
The winter chill to dance.
The poem begins with the "frenzy" of life, the "sweaty palms" of the working man laboring so hard to the point that even the winter chill outside is convinced it can dance despite the freezing atmosphere. It really is about the thrill of life that is so convincing.
If life is but a season
Fading in due time
Memory’s frigid pangs
Will surely pass
With the shift of clouds.
Life is often seen as a compilation of seasons but life itself alone can be seen as a season, for life on earth too is passing like the seasons. The fading of time with the passing of the last season of the year which is winter, enables us to leave behind the "frigid pangs" meaning troubles or concerns of the year which like everything else do pass "in due time" as we march towards another segment of time, a new year.
Boisterous with verve Splendor to define
Snowflakes lock their hands,
In a diamond white
Lavish the frozen ground.
With much verve, snowflakes "lock their hands" meaning mankind grabs with the hands fully onto life and thrives so to "in a diamond white, lavish the frozen ground" achieving the success it aimed for so to feel the splendor of life is a reality one can "ground" into, a reality which can be felt and defined once attained. With the winter’s coming Magic’s faculty
Melts the lurking fright, As the flakes of snow
Embrace the faithful sun.
What happens to a snowflake when it falls to the ground? It melts, it dies, and the earth absorbs it. In human life experience some of us believe that our soul ascends into the sky while our bodies descend into the ground. Similar to the snowflake, we die, however, unlike the real snowflake our soul "embraces the faithful sun" meaning it gets absorbed and taken up by the "sun." If you are not a believer I respect your choice, because you are entitled to a choice. The "sun" here may mean the universe for you or hope or nothing. Whatever you choose to believe in, it is your choice. For me "the sun" is God. Death will be a thing we will all face, regardless of our belief system. How we face it, it's debatable based on each person's perception. Bottom line is, in the end, once man has achieved the long worked for magic and is now faced with the end of life, the fear of the end challenges him or her to think about how he/she will see the end.
Let the recital of my poem "So Much More Than Snowflakes" take you to a place of appreciation for your life today, let it transport you into a mental state of gratefulness, for this alone will bring you much happiness not just on Christmas Day but every day of life. For my holiday personal greeting to you, click the below link which will open my "Recitals" page, and play "POEM 2 - So Much More Than Snowflakes." Enjoy the listening.
With love for you at Christmas Carmen A. Cisnadean
Author. Artist. Poetess.
