Carmen's Chronicles

Friday, December 25, 2009

Christmas Day

Christmas Day

At last the wait is over,

Santa’s come and gone,

Children rose, filled with glee,

Shortly after dawn.

All that careful wrapping,

Took seconds to destroy,

As boys and girls thrilled,
To find that very special toy!

Families gathered close,

Around brightly lit trees,

Pausing now and then,

To give each other a squeeze!

People thronged to churches,

Filled with hearts of love,

Counting all their blessing,

From the good Lord above.

It was a day of feasting,

From morning until night,

The specialties brought forth,
Were a source of much delight.

As this day draws to an end,

I hope we hold most dear,

The loving feelings of goodwill,

Throughout the coming year!

Carmen Henesy

Thursday, December 24, 2009

A Politically Correct Christmas

A Politically Correct Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas and Santa's a wreck...
How to live in a world that's politically correct?
His workers no longer would answer to "Elves",
"Vertically Challenged" they were calling themselves.
And labor conditions at the North Pole,
were alleged by the union, to stifle the soul.

Four reindeer had vanished without much propriety,
released to the wilds, by the Humane Society.
And equal employment had made it quite clear,
that Santa had better not use just reindeer.
So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid,
were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid!

The runners had been removed from his beautiful sleigh,
because the ruts were deemed dangerous by the EPA,
And millions of people were calling the Cops,
when they heard sled noises upon their roof tops.
Second-hand smoke from his pipe, had his workers quite frightened,
and his fur trimmed red suit was called "unenlightened".

To show you the strangeness of today's ebbs and flows,
Rudolf was suing over unauthorized use of his nose.
He went to Geraldo, in front of the Nation,
demanding millions in over-due workers compensation.

So...half of the reindeer were gone, and his wife
who suddenly said she'd had enough of this life,
joined a self help group, packed and left in a whiz,
demanding from now on that her title was Ms.

And as for gifts...why, he'd never had the notion
that making a choice could cause such commotion.
Nothing of leather, nothing of fur...
Which meant nothing for him or nothing for her.
Nothing to aim, Nothing to shoot,
Nothing that clamored or made lots of noise.
Nothing for just girls and nothing for just boys.
Nothing that claimed to be gender specific,
Nothing that's warlike or non-pacifistic.

No candy or sweets...they were bad for the tooth.
Nothing that seemed to embellish upon the truth.
And fairy tales...while not yet forbidden,
were like Ken and Barbie, better off hidden,
for they raised the hackles of those psychological,
who claimed the only good gift was one ecological.

No baseball, no football...someone might get hurt,
besides - playing sports exposed kids to dirt.
Dolls were said to be sexist and should be passe.
and Nintendo would rot your entire brain away.

So Santa just stood there, disheveled and perplexed,
he just couldn't figure out what to do next?
He tried to be merry he tried to be gay,
but you must have to be careful with that word today
His sack was quite empty, it was flat on the ground,
nothing fully acceptable was anywhere to be found.

Something special was needed, a gift that he might,
give to us all, without angering the left or the right.
A gift that would satisfy - with no indecision,
each group of people in every religion.
Every race, every hue,
everyone, everywhere...even you!
So here is that gift, it's price beyond worth...

"MAY YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES, ENJOY PEACE ON EARTH"

I have no idea who wrote this - I wish I could claim credit for it! I just received it in an email from a dear forensic nursing colleague in Puerto Rico. I haven't seen her in such a long time since our paths usually cross at our forensic nursing conferences and, since my job loss, I wasn't able to go to our national conference in Atlanta in October. I'm so fortunate my friends don't abandon me and stay in touch. I thought a little brevity might be in order this evening so I'm forwarding this poem on to you, my newest friends - and blessed am I to have you!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

A Child's Letter to Santa

A Child’s Letter To Santa

Dear Santa, it is almost time,

For your very stressful day,

To harness up your reindeer,

And to head out on your way!

I hope you’ll get a little rest,

And try to stop and pause,

For some precious quality time,

With dear, sweet Mrs. Claus!

I know the elves are working,

To get all done up right,

Avoiding any disappointment.

As you embark tomorrow night.

I wonder, in amazement,

How that sleigh holds all those toys,

Bringing thrills of such delight,

To a world of girls and boys.

Does your tummy ever ache,

From eating all the treats?

Left for you by the tree,

Milk, cookies and lots of sweets.

Will Rudolph and the reindeer,

Tire as they prance along?

Do you keep their spirits soaring,

With a merry Christmas song?

May moonbeams light your way

As your sleigh glides through the night,

Over shifting desert sands,

And snowdrifts shining white!

As children try to sleep,

And turn restlessly to and fro,

Is it their imagination,

Or do they hear a faint,”Ho,ho!”

Carmen Henesy

A Christmas Poem for Children

A Christmas Poem for Children

The snow has started falling,

And the angel’s on the tree,

There are cookies baking ,

For my sister and for me.

There’s a huge roaring fire,

To keep us cozy and warm,

And Grandpa and Grandma,

Arrived before the storm.

We had a festive dinner,

With lots of special treats,

Followed by desserts,

And once-a-year sweets.

Our house is full of cheer,

Bright bows and sprigs of pine,

Every room is glowing,

Resplendent and so fine.

Mama tells of Christmas customs,

In lands so far from home,

Some mysterious and exotic,

Where we hope some day to roam.

Papa reads the Christmas story,

Then we’ll soon be tucked away,

To dream of jolly Santa Claus,

For tomorrow is Christmas Day!

Carmen Henesy

Monday, December 21, 2009

I'm a Winner

Well, I had quite a surprise this afternoon! I had a phone call from a Portland, OR company called HB Designs telling me I was a winner of a haiku contest for a HP - 1TB MediaSmart Server . I don't remember how I even entered the contest in the first place and I wasn't totally sure what a "home server" was. I do write poetry occasionally but haiku isn't my forte. The advertisement about the home server said it was ideal for backing up files ( I still don't do this and I already had one computer crash so you would think I learned my lesson! ). What made an impact on me was that this server could accomodate all the computers in the family! So I wrote my haiku - the instructions were to say why this server would bring peace of mind to YOUR life or why I really wanted one. Sadly, I don't even have a copy of the haiku. It was written on their form and submitted. I will have to wait until they post all the winning haikus on their site to see what I said!

I looked at the Best Buy website and these servers list at $549.99! I hadn't backed up my computer yet because, since I lost my job of 21 years this past February, even buying an external hard drive was an expense I kept putting off. Now, it looks like I can back up my desk top, lap top and mini computer and my boys can back up theirs! Of course, it will take me awhile to read through the manual and figure everything out. Please computers, no crashing until then!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Christmas Gifts

Christmas Gifts

It happens every Yuletide,

The gifts that come my way,

Are often so outrageous,

My hands go up in great dismay!

I don't know who decided,

That, at my age of sixty-four,

A gift card for Victoria's Secret,

Was something I'd adore!

My grandchild watched, excited,

As I unwrapped his gift to me,

"Massacre" by 50 Cent,

Was not my hinted at CD.

My husband spends far too much,

On gifts I do not need,

There is always a jewelry item,

No matter how much I plead.

Sometimes I get a sweater,

In a color I'd never wear,

In a style more suited for a teen,

Which, on me, provokes a stare.

Some presents are not even,

Ones I could “re-gift”,

But thinking of recipients for them,

,Gives my spirits such a lift!

This year, I've said to loved ones,

Our gifts should be dinner out,

Enjoying a meal with each other,

Is the best gift of all, no doubt.

Carmen Henesy

( please note that the author has no husband or

grandchild nor has she ever received annual

expensive pieces of jewelry )

Il Divo - O Holy Night

Il Divo has long been one of my favorite recording groups. These handsome young men, brought together by Simon Cowell, began recording together in early 2004. This foursome consists of Carlos Marin, a well known Spanish baritone, two classically trained tenors, Urs Buhler of Switzerland and David Miller of the United States, and Sebestien Izambard, a French pop singer.

They have achieved amazing success, appearing on Oprah Winfrey early in their career, and then completed a six month tour of America, Australia and Europe. They also accompanied Barbra Streisand for all 20 concerts of her North American tour in 2006. Every album they have recorded has risen to the top of the charts in countries all over the world.

I was fortunate to see Il Divo perform in 2006 during their appearance in the San Francisco area and was thrilled to have seats in about the 25th row in the Concord Pavilion! What incredible voices these men have and there was barely a sound in the audience.

I love all of their albums but one of my favorites is their Christmas album. I am including a link to
a You Tube video of Il Divo singing one of my favorites, "Oh, Holy Night."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMLDT3fbMQo

Friday, December 18, 2009

A Very Special Tree

A Very Special Tree

The sun was setting in the sky,

And snow loomed in the air,

People jammed the malls,

Or gathered for a posh affair.

Tree lots had meager choices,

There was not much that remained,

And even those selections,

Suffered from recent days it rained.

A rector from a parish church,

In the poorest part of town,

Came across a straggly fir,

The smallest one around.

Its branches were quite flimsy,

It was even slightly bent,

But its straggly little branches,

Gave off a fragrant scent.

Soon it stood next to the altar,

In the rector's tiny church,

Trimmed in antique ornaments,

On a gilded metal perch.

Waterford crystal lights,

From the rector's Irish past,

Gave the little tree such beauty,

That was totally unsurpassed.

A dazzling Christmas angel,

In spun silver, flecked with gold,

This magical little tree,

Became a treasure to behold.

No longer bent but ramrod straight,

It stood for all to see,

Its branches raised unto the Lord,

In praise, divine and heavenly.

Carmen Henesy