Comet

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Comet

December 27, 2017 by Betty Hayes Albright

Earth freezes

when the comet

spreads his tail

like a dove.

She covers tiny trees

against the frost

and watches

till the fan of indigo

folds and disappears.

Once in a lifetime

or a thousand years

it matters not,

she’ll know him

by his steel blue

when he comes again.

(a re-post, revised)

35 Responses

on December 27, 2017 at 4:51 pm | Reply slpmartin

Wonderful personification in this verse.

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- on December 27, 2017 at 7:51 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thank you, Charlie. 🙂
  
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on December 27, 2017 at 7:35 pm | Reply Homer H Emery

It is sure freezing in San Antonio Today, well almost. Down to 37 F.

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- on December 27, 2017 at 7:50 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Hi Homer! That sounds pretty cold for SA. (It’s 36 here, so we’re close.) Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!
  
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on December 28, 2017 at 3:10 am | Reply grandfathersky

Is Halley an apparition? Will the Sun answer our prayer for a warm heart?

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- on December 28, 2017 at 2:23 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Hi Peter! Let’s hope so, to your second question. About Halley – when I was a kid in school it was spelled “Haley” and everyone pronounced it with a long “a”. Then somewhere along the line there were suddenly two l’s and the pronunciation changed. Does anyone else remember this or is it a case of the “Mandela Effect”? There’s a question for you. 🙂
  
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  - on December 28, 2017 at 4:13 pm | Reply grandfathersky
    
    I think you are right arts HAley’s comet. Long a named after its discoverer. I fudged the spelling. Waited my whole life ( or so it seemed then) and it was a complete bust. Never saw it. Saw Kahoutek though. That was cool. There are many comet theories. I think Veilikovsky (sic?) got it right in Worlds in Collision!
    
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    - on December 28, 2017 at 9:00 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
      
      Sorry you didn’t get to see Halley’s (or Haley’s) but glad you saw Kahoutek. I’ve never seen one – the sky is overcast here a lot. 😉
      
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on December 28, 2017 at 5:43 am | Reply OwnShadow

I love this image. I’ve noticed colours feature a lot in your poems. Does their symbolism have anything to do with it? As for the next comet, let’s hope he doesn’t drop by.

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- on December 28, 2017 at 2:28 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thank you very much! And yes, the colors always mean something in the poems, either literally or symbolically. In this case, the steel blue and indigo refer to the color of the comet’s eyes. Can’t explain here beyond that. 🙂
  
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on December 28, 2017 at 12:59 pm | Reply Sue Dreamwalker

Beautiful Betty.. The frost certainly is beautiful and so are the words of your poem.. 🙂 Sending well wishes for a Wonderful Happy New Year

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- on December 28, 2017 at 2:30 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thanks very much, Sue – I appreciate your comment! Wishing you a great New Year as well. 🙂
  
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  - on December 29, 2017 at 3:03 am | Reply Sue Dreamwalker
    
    You are most welcome.
    
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on December 28, 2017 at 1:00 pm | Reply willowdot21

So evocative 💜💜💜

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- on December 28, 2017 at 2:31 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thank you Willow! Glad you found it evocative. (I love that word!) 💙
  
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  - on December 28, 2017 at 2:32 pm | Reply willowdot21
    
    Me too it is a special word… I don’t use it lightly 🌹😉💜
    
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    - on December 28, 2017 at 3:05 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
      
      Me neither. 😊
      
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      - on December 28, 2017 at 4:16 pm | Reply willowdot21
        
        🌹🌹💜
        
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on December 28, 2017 at 1:30 pm | Reply Audrey Dawn - Oldest Daughter Redheaded Sister

A delight to read, Betty. I too notice the use of colors. Happy New Year!

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- on December 28, 2017 at 2:33 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thank you, Audrey! Wishing you a Happy New Year also! 🙂
  
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on December 28, 2017 at 3:07 pm | Reply Baydreamer

Beautiful imagery, Betty, and I also liked the personification. Sending New Year hugs to you, my friend. xo

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- on December 28, 2017 at 3:48 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thank you Lauren! New Year hugs back to you. 💞 Hope you’ve been enjoying the holidays and aren’t having to work too hard!
  
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on December 29, 2017 at 3:25 am | Reply InfiniteZip

shrouded in the finest of blues, I’d love to see a comet any day streak by, have seen meteor showers before but that’s about it. ❤ ❤ hope you're staying warm and snacking on cookies, mom's finally arrived ❤ ❤

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- on December 29, 2017 at 11:24 am | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thanks, Kim – yes, staying warm and enjoying Christmas treats still. (Our daughter-in-law made the best Jule Kake!) Glad your mom’s cookies arrived! 😋💕🍪❤️
  
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on December 29, 2017 at 8:31 am | Reply L. T. Garvin, Author

Powerful and beautiful, Betty. The heavens are resplendent and a bit dangerous too. We’ve had lots of grey days and frost lately.

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- on December 29, 2017 at 11:29 am | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thank you, Lana! (My Texas cousin in above comment mentioned how cold it was down there. Ironically it’s warmed up into the 50’s today here in the NW!)
  
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  - on December 29, 2017 at 7:35 pm | Reply L. T. Garvin, Author
    
    Oh wow, that sounds good to me. We are about to have some “deep freeze” weather. The good thing is that it rarely last more than a few days, but we are certainly not used to that sort of cold. Looks like winter will be sticking around for awhile. Stay warm! 😀
    
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on December 30, 2017 at 4:36 pm | Reply Sharon Bonin-Pratt

And like all good sentinels, we, Earth or people, remember the things that impact our sense of wonder and send our dreams to flight.

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- on December 30, 2017 at 6:37 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thank you for your lovely, poetic comment, Sharon. 🙂
  
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on January 1, 2018 at 3:47 pm | Reply Ben Naga

We see ourselves and our close ones as so large and important. The cosmos has a way of cutting up down to size. Thank you for the timely reminder, Betty.
And for the inspiration …

EPHEMERA

Bubbles all we are
Air, water ours to enjoy
And share our moment

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- on January 1, 2018 at 4:08 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thanks back to you, Ben. I’m honored to have inspired your lovely Senryu! 🙂
  
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  - on January 1, 2018 at 4:15 pm | Reply Ben Naga
    
    Well we have both had painful reminders this year too which I am sure had a hand in the inspiration.
    
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    - on January 1, 2018 at 4:42 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
      
      Painful indeed. Hope you’re holding up as well as possible, Ben. I’m finding meditation to be one of the most important things in keeping it together. (And you’re to thank, as it hadn’t been part of my regular routine for awhile and you – and your poetry – reminded me often. So, thank you. ❤️ )
      
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      - on January 1, 2018 at 5:47 pm | Reply Ben Naga
        
        I am always happy to learn that someone is benefiting from their practice. Long may it be so, Betty.
        
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        on January 1, 2018 at 6:14 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
        
        Thank you again, Ben. 🙂
        
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