Angels dance upon points of needles
that poke up through Minerva’s pondered cloth.
They twirl out trajectories of tidings
toward shepherds and bleating beasts
whispering wisps of frozen December air.
Hearts open without decree.
While ewes and rams forsake the manger
to make fallow fields frolic,
shepherds bed beneath the brightest star
their eyes have ever seen.
The star’s white blue illuminates
mounds of sheep undulating across December’s
breeding fields fashioning a river of sheep
that flows into spring’s leaping lambs.
Minerva works without haste
tenaciously seaming stories of joy and peace
while reality unfolds in silvery threads
weaving wonder through winter’s white expanse.
Brenda Warren 2011
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This piece took three days to come; now that it’s here, I like it. The wordle words over at The Sunday Whirl were provided by Magical Mystical Teacher from the biblical Christmas story in Luke 2. Check out the whirl for more pieces using these 12 words: heart, decree, pondered, joy, tidings, angel, peace, afraid, haste, shepherds, manger, and heard. I used all of the words except heard and afraid. It may have required another three days to get those in there. 😉
undercaws 
Hi Brenda…
As always, I do appreciate your hosting of the wordle! It really is my favorite weekly prompt…and I’m always telling others they should give it a go! 🙂 Thank you for your patience with me as I’ve not been able to make my rounds to read as I’d like. I’ve kept writing — which is a good thing.
I enjoyed your use of the words! As you know, I couldn’t get away from their original story (though I wrote of a time at least a couple months prior to the manger scene). As I’ve read several of the wordlers’ pieces, I’ve been impressed by those who have retold the familiar story as well those who have been able, as you, to use the words in an entirely different way.
And you used one of my favorite words: undulate. 🙂 Love the idea of seeing the mounds of white undulating along the hillside….
See you soon, as another wordle is just around the corner! 🙂
~Paula
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I love the journey the wordle took you on this week! I thought the last two lines were especially vivid. Nicely done!
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Beautifully woven poetic tapestry, Brenda! If there is a real Minerva, this is a wonderful tribute to her artistry and a lyrically original retelling of the day of Christ’s birth. I pray your Christmas was blessed, and I wish you a safe and Happy New Year. 🙂
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Thank you for your kind words, Traci. Minerva is the Roman name for the goddess Athena. Minervas was the patron saint of weavers….that’s where I chose the name. See you in the New Year. May it bless all of us with good tidings. 🙂
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You had me right from the first lines. . .
“Angels dance upon points of needles
that poke up through Minerva’s pondered cloth.”
Beautiful writing! I love what you did with the wordle words. 🙂
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Thank you Susannah! I loved your piece this week, too.
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This is lovely, Brenda. I love it when you incorporate some of the older wordle words like fallow.
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I love fallow, too. I worked lambs for years in a small “town” in central Montana, where I was one of seven residents….aside from sheep, cows, pigs, chickens, cats, dogs, and birds. The fields were fallow in the winter. I loved when the wind did not blow the snow, or there was enough to lay cross country ski tracks for miles upon miles. It didn’t happen often, but that is my fondest memory of fallow fields. 🙂 Rich and alive with snow they were!
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Randy shepherds and frisky sheep! 0-0 Are you sure that wasn’t Aphrodite stirring things up? Great read with wonderful images. Happiest of New Years to you.
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Aphrodite does run amok. 😉
Thanks for stopping to read and share your thoughts.
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The star’s white blue illuminates
mounds of sheep undulating across December’s
breeding fields fashioning a river of sheep
that flows into spring’s leaping lambs.
Beautiful lines, and the last stanza is wonderful. I like how you invoke Minerva in this piece and the feeling of a snowy expanse and your imagining of sheep. Wishing you a happy holiday season, Brenda.
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You too, Irene. Thank you for stopping to read and leave your impressions. Someday I’d love to meet you in life. Is that what this is? hmmmmm…..
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Brenda, this is beautiful and so very tender. You did a wonderful job with these words. I am wishing you and the family a lovely holiday.
Pamela
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Thank you for taking note of tenderness…..I tried to evoke that feeling. I loved working with sheep in expansive fields. The sky is so big out here. They call it Big Sky Country, but it’s the plains in the middle of the state that create that expanse…the mountains punctuate it here and there.
Thanks for keeping up with me and The Whirl, Pamela. Your presence out here in the blogosphere is a constant in my life that I treasure.
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P.S. I had to shovel the white stuff today. (mumbles n grumbles)
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A lovely tale. I love this line ‘to make fallow fields frolic’. Try saying that with a drink or three. LOL
Merry Christmas Brenda.
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Perhaps I should give it to my speech students as an articulation exercise. LOL Merry Christmas to you, too, and thank you for spreading good cheer.
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WOW! You managed to create some truly splendid images, Brenda!
“Angels dance upon points of needles
that poke up through Minerva’s pondered cloth.
They twirl out trajectories of tidings”
Truly lyrical and beautifully descriptive!
We’re having a brown Christmas here in Minnesota and I love it!
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I love snow, love love love it. Thank you for your kind words, Marianne. See you in the new year. 🙂
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Brenda, this is masterly – or mistressly if the gender bothers you. And beautiful. Your poem takes the spirit of the wordle and elaborates on it. Bravo.
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Wow Viv! Masterly is more than fine, thank you for the compliment. It was nice to grapple with it for a few days. I like it, too. We had a white Christmas at my folks’ place. It is beautiful.
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