Poetry Friday: O Christmas Tree

h1 December 19th, 2008 by eisha

snow on juniper treeI want to share a very good Christmas poem with you guys – but I can’t. At least, I can’t transcribe part of it here and then tell you to “click here to read the rest.” It’s a shape poem (actually, a shape sonnet, if you can believe it) and in WordPress it’s just a pain in the ass to try to get the spacing right.

So… Please click here and read “Sonnet in the Shape of a Potted Christmas Tree” by George Starbuck. I’m sorry I’m forgoing the usual excerpt, but I’ll tell you that it has delicious words like “fury-bedecked” and “glitter-torn” and “bonbonbonanza.” Please take my word for it. It’s good. You’ll like it. Pinky-promise. And… Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Beautiful Solstice.

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Laura is on Poetry Friday Round-Up detail at Author Amok. You’ll want to see what she’s got.





10 comments to “Poetry Friday: O Christmas Tree”

  1. Dang. That sonnet is brilliant and hilarious. Puts me right in the Christmas spirit. I love seeing wit put to a joyful use.


  2. Aw, man. That’s great. I want to read more of his stuff now.


  3. Eisha, that’s great! Although when I think about the word “bonbonbonanzas,” I keep hearing it sung by the Beach Boys.

    (And Jules (et al.) I think you’ll like George Starbuck. A poetic favorite of mine.)


  4. I wish I could write poetry in form like that. I mean, I can’t write a sonnet so much as a concrete sonnet. And a not-mushy Christmas poem besides. And the word “bonbonbonanzas,” which I have to start using in complete sentences immediately.


  5. Awesome! You find the most fabulous poems! I’ve read it several times and it gets better and better.


  6. fury-bedecked is awesome

    as is bonbonbonanza


  7. I LOVE George STarbuck. So glad to see you spreading the word about him – his work deserves to be better known.

    And thanks for that beautiful photo of the tree.


  8. Hi…It is a beautifull poem…really liked it…Thanks for presenting us with it…Merry Christmas / Feliz Natal!!

    Best wishes,

    Rafael Castellar


  9. I’m so glad you all liked it. It’s really hard to find a poem about a Christmas tree that isn’t either sappy and saccharine, or jaded and cynical. There’s this one, and e.e. cumming’s “little tree,” and that’s pretty much it.

    cloudscome, that’s really high praise from you. Thanks!


  10. This one made me smile–I esp. love (in addition to the fun phrases you already mentioned)

    “bells! bibelots! popsicle cigars! shatter the glassware! a son born
    now
    now

    Wonderful!


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