Twas the day after Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was
stirring, and none were expected. But what to my wondering eyes should appear
but my little thespian friend Horatio, wearing some quite dapper, holiday gear.
As we exchanged greetings, I told him how fine I thought he looked in his
Santa hat, and he thanked me and said that he wore it every year as a tribute to
one of his namesakes, his distant uncle Holiday, who once worked in Santa's
Workshop at the North Pole. When I inquired about what kind of work his
uncle had been doing for Santa, he said that he believed the job was chief, candy
taster, which Horatio considered very important, and I agreed with him. Santa
would have been scandalized, if he had given bad candy to all of the good, little
boys and girls.
As I settled down to do a quick sketch of him, Horatio said that the primary
reason for his visit, was to personally thank me for my original, greeting card,
which he had found to be so appropriate to this particular year. He said that he had
especially admired the way I had made reference to those last five lines of Ode
To The West Wind, by Percy B. Shelley, in expressing my own hopes for the Spring
and a much better New Year ahead, for all of us. He said he particularly liked the
way I had expanded the meaning of a harsh, winter chill, to refer to the four year
long, deep and wintry chill, of mendacity, and racism, which has been pouring
from the White House in an unrelenting, destructive stream. He said that my
words had helped to restore the true spirit of Christmas.
I Thanked him for his compliment, and asked him if Shelley was his favorite
poet. He said that he liked many of the famous poets, including Shakespeare,
of course, as well as the work of another of his own, distant relatives, William
Wadsworth Shortfellow, who was known to have once written a wonderful, long,
narrative poem of exploration and adventure. When I said that I hadn't heard
of that poem, he said that he was sorry to say, that the single manuscript of the
poem had been lost before it was published.
As I was finishing up my sketch, he asked me to please use my blog, to post
my greeting card to everyone out there in our little kingdom of the animals, because
it might help give some glimmer of hope to those most in need of reassurance,
that this plague too will pass. And having said that, he gave me a nod and a wink,
and placing a finger to the side of his nose, he hurried off. And I heard him exclaim
as he drew out of sight, "Happy new year to all, and to all a safe night!"
No doubt he was in a hurry to spread more holiday cheer, and he had a lot
of territory to cover And I had the feeling, that he will be wearing his Santa hat
for the full twelve days of Christmas, while he visits many of the confined and
lonely neighbors in our troubled, little kingdom.
As requested by Mr.Horatio H Hamster Esq. - five lines from
Ode To The West Wind, by Percy Bysshe Shelley - 1819
Scatter as from an enextinguished hearth
Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!
Be through my lips to unawakened Earth
The trumpet of a prophecy! Oh wind,
If winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
To everyone out there in our little kingdom of the animals, from my little friend Horatio
and myself -
Wishing you a safe holiday season,
Finding greater hope and faith of Spring,
With bright sparks of beauty and truth,
After this past quadrennial chill of Winter.
And wishing you a fresh wind of warmth
And promise, to fulfill the prophecy
Of an awakened land, with good health
And love for all, throughout the New Year.
Eugene P. McNerney
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