The kindest corner of the interweb
When the drizzle hits the window panes
And darkness shrouds the park
But all at once the sky lights up
With coloured gunpowder, fired with love
And joy is sprinkled for one night
Upon the cold and tired and worldy worn,
Because tonight, at the stroke of twelve
We pass into a brand new year
With love and iced with sinful cheer.
Happy New Year. Lots of Love from Rachel xx
Tacky foil in six foot garlands
Strung across the room, as Ruby clambers
On the table, taping them to ceiling tiles.
While Antony scrolls aimlessly
Through Christmas tracks looking for Mariah,
Sarah props the broken tree in between the stacks
Of aging books from dusty corners of
The storeroom no one’s been in for a year.
It’s all a cobbled mess of baubles and
Of tinsel from the 1980s but, we love
The cosy feel that comes with festive vibes.
We decorated the office for Christmas the other day and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. There is something about everyone coming together to put up the tackiest decorations known to man that is so heart warming.
I think that a big part of my love for it comes down to being an only child and not having all that hustle and bustle that comes with lots of people putting up the tinsel. I always remember mum wanting the perfect tree and she would do it all herself. There would be no arguments or people tripping over one another. It was just quiet and ordered.
I really enjoyed watching my new colleagues fighting with one another and bickering over music and trying desperately to stand up a tree with no legs (using a box of Romeo and Juliet texts). I felt like I was part of one of those warm and friendly families that you see on the TV and I really liked it.
Much Love
Rachel xx
Don’t venture into that world that is socially blue
On the night when the Earth has made a full circle
As the faces that glare out of pictures online
Will haunt and will taunt and sneer at your life.
You’ll see inside houses that have islands in kitchens
And living rooms like a Habitat ad.
And there is the girl with her boiler in view,
Walls with holes and doors that don’t match.
I wish I’d not looked into those windows
Into the lives of people I met once,
The people who I mocked for being a bit stupid
And now I am realising they’re richer than me.
I’m not actually as bitter as this poem makes me out to be. I love all my friends and I think people with money and lovely houses are very deserving of everything they have.
However, sometimes I feel those tendrils of jealousy wrapping around my heart and Facebook is not a good place for easing that problem. On New Year’s Eve (particularly this year) you are subjected to seeing inside every house of every friend, and they’re all better than yours.
However, this year, more than ever, I’ve realised just how much I love my little flat and everybody in it. I feel so blessed and actually quite proud that I have made a home and run it smoothly for the entirety of 2020. Four years ago I would have struggled to do that for more than a month, so that’s a win.
Be proud of everything you’ve achieved this year. No matter how small your achievement was, you’re amazing.
Cheers,
Rachel xx