Dear Santa Claus,
(not a child’s letter)
I believe in you
All the yous
We’ve owned some magic
From the original story
Though I try to keep
The faith from that one,
Too
We wish, don’t we?
We wish like another saint
That all be well
She has more faith than I,
Claiming that
“All shall be well”
But I have hope
I don’t have much to ask
This year except for
Reading glasses, extra-large socks
(they feel better)
Maybe, maybe a new winter
Coat—in these parts, it does get cold
Wait, how boring is my list?
Each day bears its own need for wishes
I can take part in these
If my list should go beyond
Then
I can ask for love, romantic and
Erotic (yes, at my age)
Though really
The kind that keeps
Not only on a shelf (in case I should
apologize for all the elves)
But on both sides
Of the doors
Of the human hearts
Involved
So I’ll close, dear Santa Claus
Thanking you for Sandy Paws
And all the softer
And the harder things that
I must keep for Christmas
Trying for year-‘round
With love
And respect,
Robin
C L Couch
A Note on Names
Robin
Is a nickname
For Christopher,
Hood, or Goodfellow
I’d choose Topper second
But neither name of these names counts
The rules say nicknames
Can’t be self-selected
(though Lewis somehow decided on
“Jack” and got to keep it),
Rather gained, for better or worse,
At home or on the playground
By good fellows
(male and female)
Or maybe, maybe in a hundred-acre wood
When we were
Very young
Image by TanteTati from Pixabay
(image above) Vincent Guth on Unsplash
Iceland lake, Northern Lights
December 12, 2019 at 9:01 am
Oh. This is sooo adorable and touching, brother! A sincere poetry!
December 12, 2019 at 6:30 pm
Thank you, sister! I am enjoying your work, more and more!
December 13, 2019 at 2:16 am
Oh I am grateful to know that! Thank you, brother!
December 14, 2019 at 8:05 pm
I enjoyed all those Robins.
December 16, 2019 at 12:53 am
Thank you! Sigh, I guess I should mentioned it’s a bird. Robin Hood has been a favorite; I think I’d enjoy robbing from the rich to give to the poor. And there’s Puck. But my mom really liked the Winnie the Pooh stories, which is how I was named.
December 16, 2019 at 9:13 am
I thought you hadn’t mentioned the bird because American robins don’t have the same symbolism as European robins. Or rather I’m assuming they don’t as they’re not the same family, thrushes with red markings, I think. Everyone loves Winnie the Pooh, and the mockery in send-ups (which are very easy to do and often very funny) is always very gentle.
December 16, 2019 at 10:18 pm
You know, I wondered about American associations with robins but only substantially after I read your comment. As long as Pooh has been around, certainly there are parodies. Disney’s is not a parody, though sometimes it feels old to me (though younger). Thank you for teaching me about European robins.
December 17, 2019 at 11:21 am
Disney sucks the life out of stories and spits out saccharine. I hate the entire concept of taking a good story with depth and compassion and turning it into stuffed animals.
I think the settlers were homesick and named birds, animals and places after what they knew in the old country.
December 17, 2019 at 1:25 pm
Yes, the Milne and Shepard versions are subtle, generous, wise, and not to mention the originals.
I think you’re right about names in the USA. I live in Pennsylvania where I’m surrounded by European names, terms, and titles, especially northern. I live in a borough, for example. The English and Irish in me is quite satisfied.
December 17, 2019 at 5:24 pm
It’s to be expected, but it’s touching as well.