ANANSI: AN UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE

THE 12 DAYS DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COLLABORATION AT LUNCH BREAK http://myblog-lunchbreak.blogspot.com/ DECEMBER 25TH 2012 TO JANUARY 5TH 2013 GILLENA COX AND HAIKU FRIENDS

Welcome to the FIFTH YEAR'S celebration of 'The 12 days of Christmas at Lunch Break Thank you for celebrating with me Wishing the love and warmth of family and friends MERRY CHRISTMAS 2012 (story of) 'Anansi - An Unusual Experience' gillena cox 2012 All poems and images remain the copyright of individual writers

Christmas tree the glow and sparkle of old ornaments --opening image and haiku Adelaide B Shaw

Christmas Eve sunrise--I water my poinsettia Fred Masarani

...And thus, the spidery Anansi, awakes to eight arms full of anansi children, tugging at him from every direction, pleading with him to come downstairs, to open a gift under the Christmas tree. He yawns and stretches, it is daylight and it is Christmas, what a wonderous feeling...
azure skies... in the church-front creche Mary's blue mantle --gillena cox

image from google

smell of roast in the long distance call Christmas day --Stella Pierides

TV movies Christmas day sips of saki and chocolate --gillena cox

family gathering... the many sounds of laughter --Kirsten Cliff

...Left alone for a while, Anansi and Mrs Anansi sit at the table sipping coffee. They use cinnamon sticks to stir, stirring slowing. They sip and they talk, for the children are too excited by their new toys to feel hungry, or even remember, they have anansi parents....

silent day after Christmas I clean house again -- Adelaide Boxing Day hunt ducks on the Danube line-up for crumbs -- Stella Pierides so many left overs oh my scale better walk all the boxing sale --Lorraine

image from google

around the table three generations in the candles glow --Cara Holman through a waft of breeze a bird's nest revealed --gillena cox

...However, later in the day, when they gather, for a late Christmas lunch, it is then, Anansi in between mouthfuls of *green fig salad, decides to relate this experience...
[*In the Caribbean green bananas are called 'green fig']

after midnight... pouring "Santa" another glass of milk --Diane Mayr

Christmas tree the language gets brighter towards night --Chris Dominiczak

half awake coo coo of pigeons in the eaves --gillena cox

between holidays listening to carols alone -- Adelaide

...In between the patter and splash of raindrops on the pavement, there arose an unusual wind, which, not content to only ruffle Mrs Anansi's pretty new drapes, ruffled and wove herself into the Anansi house; winding her way up the Anansi staircase, into the Anansi bedrooms; peering here, and peering there, until at last, reaching the room shared by Anansi and his charming wife. Here, this unusual gust, shaped herself into a giant windy hand, large enough to pick up the unsuspecting, Anansi himself....

...Come with me Anansi" said the unusual Wind, i will take you on a little trip. poor Anansi, he was terrified, yet still, he clutched Wind's giant hand and off they went swooosh. Anansi thought to himself, this must be exactly how great Moon feels in all her waning and waxing shapes, suspended in the night sky; he even thought he saw an unusually bright star in passing

hazy moon... cresting a car roof Christmas dew --gillena cox

full moon . . . picking at leftovers from the fridge --Kirsten Cliff

yelping dogs... bamboo bussin [written as spoken by Trinis in relaxed conversations]

yelping dogs... bamboo bursting --gillena cox about Bamboo bursting read more here

A packed church of children clutching their toys Holy Innocents Day --Keith Simmonds

I remember horse hand of the moon embraces walnut brain --Tatjana Debeljacki

cemetery visit -I place a Christmas angel at his headstone --Kirsten Cliff

first snow just enough to excuse the hot toddy --Diane Mayr

...Tossed, swivelled and swirled, Anansi was so terrified he, couldn't even feel air sick. He peered through the night; thick and dark, to see what he could see. There they were, three unusually dressed men riding on the backs of camels, carrying gifts of some sort. They sat so regally in the desert of falling snowflakes, not even once brushing away a snowflake, Anansi thought, how wise these three men, sitting on the backs of camels holding their packages so tightly, so securely...

winter stars under the Christmas lights a couple wishing --Chrissi Villa

drummer on square oasis of colours and sound midnight moon --Tatjana Debeljacki

Christmas rush in the road a pair of trainers pointing in different directions --Frank

Mistletoe hanging in every doorway spirit of goodwill --Keith Simmonds

between holidays a late Christmas card with no name -- Adelaide

New Years eve mass the church fills with the scent of perfumes and incense --Keith Simmonds

...Anansi was enthralled, he stared, his spidery mouth wide open in amazement. But where are they going, just the three of them, and at this hour of the night; Dont they have families? Wives to help with shelling of pigeon peas? Children's gifts to wrap? Ham to bake for the paranderos' visits? And as he asked these questions of Wind, with each question, his mood softened, and his spidery face brightened...

Christmas lilies... the way her eyes light up --Kirsten Cliff

paranderos proclaiming from house to house the birth of the King Santa Claus arrives bearing toys and goodies childrens eyes light up --Keith Simmonds drenching hearts of every Scrooge... a downpour Christmas morning --gillena cox

another new year i take with me the scent of Christmas memories --Chrissi Villa fire crackers... a whiff of the new year within festive sounds --gillena cox The midnight hour last years resolutions recycled Strains of Auld Lang Syne filling the atmosphere a new beginning Fireworks in sync with the midnight magic the power of hope --Keith Simmonds

New Year's Day ... the bunch of balloons hangs shriveled --Kirsten Cliff

learning from the past New Year resolutions set in marble -- Stella Pierides

office wish list... in a recycled envelope oddly shaped scraps

that vacation in New York all the ALF toys were sold out --gillena cox first shared at NaHaiWriMo

...Where are we Anansi entreated? Wind however had spoken her bit for that night, when she commanded "Come with me Anansi" so to Anansi's now questioning, she gave no reply. It was swooosh, after swooosh after swooosh. As wind blew this way and that carrying poor Anansi in her grasp

image--GheorghePostelnicu Romania;

our dogs join singing ... but where is Baby Jesus? --Ralf Brker

Let me be Your Christmas Your shiny stars I love you Jesus --Lorraine

...Anansi, from trillions of night clouds above, craned his neck this way and that. He thought he saw a sign. Yes it was. A neon sign which read "Bethlehem Ephrath - stable about 2 to 3 swoooshes away"...

Three wise men journey to the east to discover the light of the world --Keith Simmonds rainy Christmas an umbrella to shelter... what of the homeless --gillena cox in the company of the homeless--nuns serve Christmas dinner Fred Masarani memories mere repentance throught the fog --Tatjana Debeljacki first dream of the year-i wake not knowing which way is up --Kirsten Cliff

image from google

late Christmas card call of a peacock in the distance --Kirsten Cliff soft breath of God whispers to my heart and soul a Son is born today --Pat Geyer

...Gently, gently, gently Anansi felt himself being landed; As Wind opened slightly the door of a stable, no one looked around, the door was opened so quietly. And there it was Anansi saw : oxen, donkey, sheep, cattle all lying in sweet hay, some munching, some not; and the same three unusually dressed men, presenting their gifts to... and this is when Anansi squealed with delight "baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph and shepheds". Anansi clapped his hands for joy and did a happy dance, but no one looked around, no one saw or heard Anansi; but everyone heard angels singing, Joy to the world let earth receive her King....

A star twinkles on a child in a manger the Prince of peace a tiny Infant from the humblest of abodes peace and love to all --Keith Simmonds

Christmas Eve of long agos I still cry 'O Holy night --Lorraine

Christmas carols... two grackles linger between the melodies --gillena cox

Christmas morning... lusty voices belting out hymns of joy and peace --Keith Simmonds somehow in every room threads of tinsel --Kirsten Cliff

..."It was indeed, a night so Holy. Wind thank you for lifting my spirits, thank you for taking me back to the true meaning of Christmas" Said a humbled happy Anansi, smiling from air to air, looking around for Wind. "Wind, Wind, Winnnnnd", but there was no Wind,only a very contented Anansi...

--image from google

before the drizzle dissipates scent of pink roses --gillena cox

fog over the roofs my new diarys paper smell -- Stella Pierides

sleeping through the silence of snow waking with the plough -- Adelaide

wrapped up in this Christmas gift, too his love for me packing away the Christmas decorations... another year without her --Kirsten Cliff sweet steelpan sounds rehearsing day and night carnival coming --Keith Simmonds moral hearts bar the paths of evil twelve days --Magyar

...Well; like i said before, and i'm saying again, it was an unusually rainy December, when, Anansi awoke one morning in an unusually bad mood, or so he thought. Anyways; it was an unusually cold kitchen (in the tropical island of Trinidad) in which cooking oil slowed to an eeire hot stillness in the large family frying pot, or so he thought, into which the radiant Mrs Anansi was dropping evenly formed bits of white flour dough, making fried bakes, or so he thought; for him the unusually grumpy Anansi didn't feel like getting out of bed even to have breakfast, or so he thought. And this is how it all started...THE END

We have come to the end of the FIFTH YEAR'S celebration of 'The 12 days of Christmas at Lunch Break' Thank you for celebrating with me Wishing the love and warmth of family and friends. Till next CHRISTMAS. HAPPY NEW YEAR !!! and "may God bless us All" All poems and images remain the copyright of individual writers

Many thanks again to my 2012/13 posse:Adelaide Shaw, US Chris Dominiczak, UK Christine L Villa, US Diane Mayr, US Frank Williams, UK Fred Masarani, US Gheorghe Postelnicu, Romania Kirsten Cliff, New Zealand Lorraine Renaud, Canada Magyar, US Pat Geyer, US Ralf Brker, Germany Stella Pierides, Germany Tatjana Debeljacki, Serbia Keith Simmonds, Trinidad and Tobago

My inspiration for writing 'Anansi - An Unusual Experience' came from reading, and viewing so many movie variations, of

Inspiration for this series The Twelve Days of Christmas Carol

Anansi image gillena cox 2011 (story of) 'Anansi - An Unusual Experience' gillena cox 2012

Read more about the Anansi folk tale