Storytime - Tuesday Poem

It's the storytime Christmas party
And the library is knee-deep in children.
Above the babble and the one screamer
a child earnestly demands, 'But why?
Why did the pig fall in the water?'
I admire his narrative persistence.
The answer - the author thought the end correct -
won't do, the pig has a new owner for now
and the pig's fate will be rewritten.
How I envy the young storyteller!
Like a film in reverse, the pig's back on the swing
kicking up his hooves in the sunny park
he's stopped pushing his brothers by the lake
and arguing over the sailboat. All drama is erased
but the pig is happy and the young editor
although not versed in plot
clearly understands contentment.

Catherine Bateson, 2014.

When you've visited here, check out the Tuesday Poem blog and read today's featured poem, 'A room of books', by Rethabile Masilo, a regular Tuesday Poet. Narrative intersects narrative, poems speak to and around each other. Lovely!

The Year that Nearly Was, Christmas and the Year that Nearly Is.

It's been an odd kind of year. I've done far less writing than I usually do and I've missed it, but haven't seemed to be able to make the time or effort to do more than the odd poem here and there. There were considerable work problems that had to be overcome and now I wonder if that was all worth it as my contract wasn't renewed. The government funding cutbacks to TAFEs have been draconian and reprehensible.

On the other hand, I received an Australia Council grant to spend three months in Paris this coming June, which I'm incredibly excited about and, although I haven't been writing, I have been thinking about writing consistently. Of course,  I've also written a lot of lesson plans - but does that count? I also changed my approach to fantasy and began a fantasy verse novel that I'm enjoying, although I haven't been seriously working on it. I may well begin seriously working on it in the near future.

2012 in no particular order:

The Accountant and I went to New Zealand.
Star was published.
I lost nearly six weeks from the year by getting pleurisy.
The Accountant retired and has been super-busy ever since.
My eldest step-daughter moved back in with us, causing  a good spike in vegetarian cooking.
I knitted my first top-down cardigan, but it does need some fixing up.
The old dog got a little older.
I gave away nearly four bags of yarn stash - thanks to the Decluttering Fiend.
I had the best haircut I've ever had.
I cleaned up my study so it is far more user-friendly.
The street now has a regular Friday night knitting group. 
The Wish Pony came out as a Vintage Classic.
I have consolidated some friendships and made a very dear, new friend.
I was inked - and I'm still happy about that!