Solstice Tree

who found you in the green forest
and were you very sorry to come away?
see          i will comfort you
because you smell so sweetly

i will kiss your cool bark
and hug you safe and tight
just as your mother would,
only don't be afraid

look          the spangles
that sleep all the year in a dark box
dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,
the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,

put up your little arms
and i'll give them all to you to hold
every finger shall have its ring
and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy


from [little tree], by E. E. Cummings


Last night the wind was loud and insistent - certainly not singing any lullabies. Instead it was difficult to sleep through the night, what with all that howling just on the other side of the wall. By morning things had calmed down somewhat, and the day was fairly quiet.

We went out in the late morning to get a solstice tree for the house. Technically we got two. Most years we cut more than one tree, since they are rather spindly. Combined together they look just right. We couldn’t locate the colored lights from last year, so the lights from the porch have been repurposed for the tree. 

The big shift was placing the tree in a different location in the room. Very progressive! There isn’t much room to place a tree here, and it seems like every year we end up getting rid of another piece of furniture to make room. This year it was the treadmill. 

It will be a little harder to see it through the window, but then again no one really looks through the windows but us anyway. The place already feels  more festive.