Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Light



















The sun set today at 4:13 p.m. I plugged in the strings of colored lights on two windows that faced each other, and later managed to get a shot of one window reflected in another. In the distance are my neighbor's Christmas lights, or are they a reflection? I want all the lights to be at least doubled.

The little Chanukah lights burned down very quickly. It's the sixth day of Chanukah. The miracle of the lights is reported to have lasted for eight days. The Holiday will soon end, but there's nothing to stop me from lighting a candle every day.















Once walking on a Florida beach I found white candles washed up, the flames, of course, extinguished, but the wicks black, and the top of the candles with that shallow indentation, the dimple the heat had made. In Maine, on Swan's Island, we used to build a fire out of salt-soaked driftwood and let the incoming tide quench the flames. Sometimes a burning piece would drift on the water before the flame went out. There was so much blue in that fire.

3 comments:

  1. White candles, wicks black
    the dimple the heat had made.
    Salt-soaked driftwood, incoming tide
    Blue in the fire.

    Forgive me for taking such latitude, Miriam, but what a potent set of images. I especially love your closing line... 'there was so much blue in that fire. These words speak to me of a very dear friend who is dying and will not be with us this Christmas. Blue is her favourite colour. Your line comes as a gift somehow - a summation - the way it speaks of Life. You could have written it specially for her.

    "...There was so much blue in that fire."

    Thank you. And blessings to you and your candle-lighting.

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  2. I'm so glad this post reached you, Claire.
    Yours for taking "latitude,"
    Miriam

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  3. Hello again, Miriam - and thank you for your generosity. As I wrote five days ago, this post of yours came at just the right time and helped me find words and a shape for Chrissie's eulogy. She was young, yes - I'll tell a wee story about her age in the comments on my last blog. With characteristic mischievousness, she'd pulled the wool over all our eyes when it came to her birthdate! Her service yesterday was a celebration & wonderful acknowledgement of her.

    Thanks, too, for pointing me in the direction of David Lebovitz. I made his spicy nut & pretzel mix this morning. OMG.How delish it is! Hard not to want to eat the whole lot in one sitting...

    I've been enjoying your snow pics. Our Northern/Southern hemisphere festive seasons are so very different. Keep warm and have a wonderful Christmas.

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