“In the Mid-Midwinter”
by Liz Lochhead
after John Donne’s ‘A Nocturnal on St Lucy’s Day’
At midday on the year’s midnight
into my mind came
I saw the new moon late yestreen
wi the auld moon in her airms
though, no,
there is no moon of course –
there’s nothing very much to speak of anything to speak of
in the sky except a gey dreich greyness
rain-laden over Glasgow and today
there is the very least of even this for us to get
but
the light comes back
the light always comes back
and this begins tomorrow with
however many minutes more of sun and serotonin.
Read the rest of the poem here.
Please be sure to visit Buffy Silverman at Buffy’s Blog for the Poetry Friday Roundup.
Wishing you all a holiday season filled with love and joy!
Reading to the Core 
Thanks for sharing this lovely poem, Catherine. It made me want to travel to Scotland and hear it read aloud. (Of course, I always want to travel to Scotland…) These lines were favorites:
“Meanwhile
there will be the winter moon for us to love the longest,
fat in the frosty sky among the sharpest stars,”
and the optimism of “the light comes back/the light always comes back.”
Here’s hoping!
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This poem is new to me. Thank you for sharing it here today, Catherine. I hope you have a joyous holiday!
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I’d love to hear this poem read with a Scottish brogue. Amazing how a few words almost capture that in your mind. Am saying these lines over to convince myself: the light comes back
the light always comes back
Beautiful light in your photo.
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I’m hopping on a plane to Scotland with Molly….your photo from this past week is the perfect illustration for this beautiful old poem. Thank you. Sweetness to you this season.
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Catherine, i love these lines from the poem:
there will be the winter moon for us to love the longest,
fat in the frosty sky among the sharpest stars,
What beautiful imagery! Happy Holidays to you.
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Thanks for this poem and beautiful photo. Even in this dark time of year, there is such beauty!
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These lines will stay with me:
the light comes back
the light always comes back
Wishing you a most wonderful holiday, Catherine – that new kitchen will certainly add to the pleasures of the season!
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I love the “sun and serotonin.” Thanks for sharing this! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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“sun and serotonin” Oh yes, we need this! All the lights everywhere have helped me keep faith that the sun will return. Happy solstice to you.
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My mantra also is
“the light comes back
the light always comes back”
Lovely. Thank you. I could lose myself in that photo.
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Hoo boy, Catherine, that is a brilliant find! I will now officially begin compiling a Winter Solstice anthology–this one puts the number I know and love up over the edge of BOOK. Thank you, and wishing you the brightest of sun and serotonin!
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Oh boy. This brought me back to my year at the University of Stirling studying literature and the Scots language. Challenging indeed! — Christie
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what a lovely description of the sky, “fat in the frosty sky.” I loved this image also, “I saw the new moon late yestreen
wi the auld moon in her airms”
thanks for sharing this poem Catherine, it painted quite a picture for me–Happy Holidays!
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