28 Dec Poets’ Corner: Feela for the New Year!
Countdowns and fireworks from Times Square’s iconic ball drop to the early fireworks over Sydney Harbor, cities mark midnight with spectacle. In the Southern US, black-eyed peas are consumed for luck. The tradition in Spain is 12 grapes at midnight, one for each month. of the coming year. In Japan, soba noodles are consumed for longevity. And champagne glasses are raised for toasts around the world.
But for all the noise and rituals, New Year’s Eve can also be intimate. Many choose to spend it thoughtfully at home with a few friends, or alone, marking the moment inwardly rather than outwardly.
One of the peeps is David Feela, whose welcomes in the New Year with a whisper, not a shout.
David Feela, courtesy Amazon.
New Skin
Last night was cold enough
for a puddle to heal itself.
I hesitate and marvel before scraping
windshield glass.
This morning the world’s glacial,
suspended beneath a layer of ice.
I can’t help but move slowly, step by
careful step, across the porch,
along the cement walk
and onto the white grass
where my feet leave dark shadows
to mark where I passed.
Above me the stars are crisp
in their celestial sockets.
The earth’s resolve hardens and for another year
I breathe and behold each breath.
David Feela, more:
David Feela’s latest book is “Feelasophy: Selected Essays.”
The work is a collection of about 70 essays Feela penned over the past decade for local and regional publications throughout the Mountain West and beyond.
Rather than dense academic philosophy, signature Feela offers up personal, observant, witty reflections on life’s absurdities and delights.
“Feelasophy: Selected Essays” follows earlier works including poetry collections and a previous essay volume (“How Delicate These Arches,” 2011).
“Feelasophy” is Feela’s fifth book overall and his latest major work, described by critics as “funny, poignant and rich with meaning.”
Find it at http://davidfeela.com