Saturday, December 22, 2012

Twas A Mystery Writer's Night Before Christmas...Redux



This is my chance to wish all of you from the many different corners of our world who so kindly follow us on MIE the very best of the Holiday Season, no matter how you may choose to celebrate the time.  For many of us it’s all about family traditions, and as I’m blessed to be part of the MIE family I thought I’d like to start one of my own right here.  Well, not actually start, but rather repost a little something I composed for my Christmas Eve post last year and thought you might like seeing again. I take great pleasure in brutally fracturing the classic poem, “Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston—history is still not sure who wrote it, so apologies to both. 

Henry Livingston
Clement C. Moore


Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a laptop was stirring, nor even a mouse.
The reviews were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that new readers would soon find them there.

The critics were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of best-seller danced in my head.
And DorothyL in her wimsey, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for the hiatus nap.

When out on the Net there arose such a chatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the keyboard I flew like a flash,
Tore open the browser and dove in with a splash.

The glow on the screen cast like new-fallen snow,
A lustre of brilliance onto writing so-so.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But the sight of a blog with eight writers so dear.

With a little bold driver so quick with a thrill,
I knew in a moment he hailed from Brazil.
More rapid than eBooks their creations they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Now, Kubu! now, Aimee! now, Nigel and Thora!
On, Kaldis! On, Poke! on, Sherlock and Silva!
To the top of the Times! to the top of them all!

Now slash away! slash away! slash away pall!”

As wry thoughts, that before the final deadline fly,
When they meet with an obstacle soar to the sky.
So off to their blog-posts these non-courtiers flew,
With a sleigh full of ploys, and opinions not few.

And then, in a twinkling, I saw not from aloof,
The prancing and gnawing of hard comments and spoof
Taking aim at some points so to bring them to ground,
Brought on by hard thinkers from near and far ‘round.

The writers were dressed from each head to each foot
In bold clothes that were tarnished with gashes well put.
A bundle of ARCs each had flung on its back,
They looked like kind peddlers bringing books to a rack.

Their eyes—how they twinkled! Their dimples how merry!
Their cheeks like Jeff Bezos’s, their noses like sherry!
One’s droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
‘Til his bottle of bourbon fell out on the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
Threw up smoke of the kind to fire scotch from the heath.
He had a broad face that would fill up the telly,

And as he reached for his bottle mumbled, “Just jelly.”

Neither chubby nor plump, more like jolly and svelte,
I laughed when I saw him, ‘til his stare I felt.
But a wink of his eye and no twist to my head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

They all spoke not a word, but went straight to their work,
And filled all the bookshelves, then turned with a jerk.

And crossing their fingers aside of their noses,
And giving great nods, passed around the Four Roses.

They kept all at play ‘til the ladies gave whistle,
Then each turned as one to read an epistle. 
And I heard them exclaim, ‘ere my charger lost might,

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-fright!”

And, of course—in my version—“Happy Chanukah and Kala Kristouyenna!”

Jeff––Saturday

9 comments:

  1. Thank you for the smiles you bring. Happy Hoidays!

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  2. And thank you, Lil, for warming the hearts of all of us on MIE all year round!

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  4. Merry Christmas, Jeff! It's going to be a totally new year for me as I move from Arizona to Indiana on Jan. 3. Starting a new job at the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library mid-January. I hope 2013 brings you health & happiness. Hugs, Lesa

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  5. Hi Lesa! I've been following your new job adventures on Facebook. It rivals "Perils of Pauline":). Indiana is doing quite well at recruiting all-stars these days. First Andrew Tuck to the Colts and now Lesa Holstine to Vanderburgh! I guess that means I know where I'll be headed on my next book tour:) Happy Holidays, the best of luck on the new venture, and most of all good health in 2013 and long beyond.

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  6. Jeff, Absolutely spot on! I am still smiling. You've got talent, to use an old cliche. Hope you have the best of holidays where ever you are this year. Joel and I have set Greece as a spring destination, perhaps we will finally meet. . .you and he can reminisce about your professional lives left behind and we can 'blog talk' over libations, of course!

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    1. Thanks, Jackie. That sounds like a terrific plan. My daughter is having a baby in April, but I'll be back on Mykonos in time for Easter. Yamas!

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  7. Ed. Note The deleted "rscredits" comment was a spam post.

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