To Write:  Literary Traditions

K. Wordbird Bate  The Writing Coach

     When I was a little girl, my mother read to me. Poetry, literature, silly nonsense rhymes, even small bits of poetry that she, her mother, and her great uncle, had written. I learned early to love the sound of the rhythm of words, and I soon recognized that each author has his and her special rhythm. Like these poems. Read them out loud:

Abou Ben Adhem  By James Henry Leigh Hunt

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

And saw, within the moonlight of his room,

Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,

An angel writing in a book of gold:--

This is from the middle of King John’s Christmas by A.A. Milne:

King John was not a good man —

Next morning when the sun

Rose up to tell a waiting world

That Christmas had begun,

And people seized their stockings,

And opened them with glee,

And crackers, toys and games appeared,

And lips with sticky sweets were smeared,

King John said grimly:

“As I feared, Nothing again for me!”

     My family created a Christmas Tradition, of reading aloud as we gathered after dinner. You could choose anything to read. You could write it yourself. It is precious and sweet, to sit around the living room, having eaten and celebrated and perhaps about to open presents, then each person has the floor, silence falls, and you listen to the voice and the heartfelt gift of this friend or family member.  It’s magical and warm. Some people may not be used to reading aloud; that’s okay. You may all be uplifted by Winnie the Pooh, King John, Twas the Night Before Christmas, or the Grinch, no matter how it’s read.

     The photo is my dad, an executive not given to reading silly stories, who agreed to read The Grinch Who Stole Christmas because he loved us so much, and we asked him to. I love this photo. Often we recorded these holiday readings. I have some from way back. As the years go by, they mean even more to me.  

     So, if you have literature you love; poetry that moves you; silly rhymes that make you laugh, or your own stories, poems or memoir you would like to give to your family, you might consider reading to each other. Make it five minutes each, so it goes fast and remains fun. It’s may become a blessed, cherished few moments, in the hustle bustle of the holidays.

Wishing you and yours everything magical and warm, through the Season.  

© Kimberly Bate

photo by Kimberly