Window number 8 today. That means it's the second Sunday of Advent already, so it's time to light another candle and wonder at its glow. I've been trying to keep up with lighting my daily advent candle but have already fallen behind. That's been very much the feeling of the past week for me - that I am falling behind. The days keep passing, the little brown packages keep arriving and my tub of gift wrapping paraphernalia sits there mocking me. I have only managed to wrap a few things so far. How about you?
The weekends of this month are also filling up with activities and commitments to meet up with different friends and relatives, something which I very much feel is part of the festive season. Such events are lovely but it can get a bit overwhelming. So I've made myself a bit of a schedule, at least in my head, to manage all the tasks. It's quite a positive feeling as I mentally tick off something, like posting all the Christmas cards, decorating the tree or finishing the shopping for stockings. But among all of this, I find it invaluable to build in a little break for myself somewhere. Time away from the mocking pile of gifts to wrap, the kitchen or the laundry, time somewhere that I can just sit.
It turns out that this is usually a little coffee corner somewhere. Those of you who know me well, will definitely know that coffee is a weakness of mine. I don't think it's about the coffee really, it is more about the environment where the coffee is. Ideally, I like to be sat with a frothy cupful of caffeine, people-watching and allowing my thoughts and writing ideas to percolate onto my notebook. One such time that I sat in a corner of a coffee shop, a poem called 'Coffee Corner' popped into my head. Therefore, today's window reveal looks back to this poem from my latest poetry collection 'Just Take Five.'
Coffee Corner
There's a man sat in the corner,
looks like David Baddiel,
The caffeine's slowly kicking in so
I'm not sure if he's real.
I found myself staring
and averted my gaze,
For staring at a stranger's wrong
in oh so many ways.
I came here for a coffee
and to try to write some more,
but I keep looking up to see
if David's making for the door.
He seems to have his head down
and is scrolling on his phone,
Should I say 'hello' to him?
He probably wants to be alone.
I sip a little latte
and wonder why he's here,
I'm sure he doesn't live close by,
I glance - he's coming near.
Now, it's me that's got my head down.
I don't even know why,
I doubt he will have noticed
I've been trying to catch his eye.
Is he working on his next book?
Taking time out from his day,
Stopped for coffee in a corner
before going on his way?
I'd ask him for an autograph
but I'm not sure how he'd feel,
Hang on,
Wait a minute,
No...
That's not David Baddiel.
Karen Honnor. 'Just Take Five - A Contemporary Poetry Collection.' 2022
The message of that whole poetry book is about building time for ourselves, even just a few minutes of calm can prove to be so beneficial. Along with the humour of poems like this one, the work celebrates the value of nature, creativity and the community that we build for ourselves. To that end, we're planning to share our coffee corner with friends and family today, as part of a festive walk and get together. If the weather allows, we will walk the dog, appreciate the woods and the decorations of a National Trust property and then sit together to chat over our coffee. A day with the warmth of friendship to reset the mind and recharge batteries, ready for more of the Christmas countdown in the week ahead. I hope your Sunday has renewed and refreshed you too. if you'd like to read more about my coffee addiction, you can check out my previous blog piece 'Coffee and cake, anyone?'
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