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december, renewal, rebirth

by eulogy


december is like the spring of winter. it is fresh, new, enticing with cold breath down your neck, melted by warm touch. it is the prospect of spring, but in a sharp cold. seasonal mismatch.

i often try to disconnect the name from the time. like how august is so definitely a fall word, yet stuck inside summer. almost bound, in a way. tethered to the season, tangibly, but in my heart "august" will be autumn, "may" will be summer, "december" will be spring.

renewal is such a foreign concept to me, the idea of becoming, again, is like resetting spring to the first bud. looping over and over, never fully blooming. cold bites at the leaves, but not long enough for it to wilt. december is like that. the ritual of lighting candles, hanging glass, watching snow, ice on pavement, and gold-lined letters.

snow washes itself along the darkness of the pavement, a stark contrast to the idealized winter- we always seem to think about string lights and fires during december.

light the matches now while you still can and i'll watch as december waltzes away from us as the time slips past. because winter and december, being as stoic as they are, are fluid when it comes to change.

and back to "renewal", i'd like to say now that the type of renewal that december offers is a polar opposite of january's. december is the prospect of a blank slate, the energy accumulated and the hopes and dreams of new buds.

january is the clean slate; the anticipation is lost and the wonder of becoming. you have nothing left to do in january because you are disappointed you do not have everything you wanted already.

i hate january/love december, their sharp differences refreshing.

as i've said in november; family is blessing, it is unifying and whole, cumbersome in weight, but it is sacred. family is december. december, the new bud of solid ice, is everlasting and holy, sacred and whole. it is beautiful that it can become, terrifying that it is new.

to restate "ritual", this calling of december as "spring" is a ritual in it of itself. the beuaty that is frozen in time is rigid but not docile, its repetition enticing. the future and past intertwined in its present.

quoting october; "there is still only the “is” and “was”. “will be” is still too distant for me to fathom." this acknowledgement of time was something so monumental to me. it is refreshing and revitalizing, it is the spirit of spring, except against an autumn background.

clean slate of december is forever, january's is distant. maybe the true benevolence came in the form of disconnection.

seperation as means to reunite.


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32 Reviews

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Sun Dec 08, 2024 9:22 pm
Helvetia wrote a review...



Another one of these! How festive!

The idea of December as spring is disorienting in the best way. I like how it recontextualizes a very traditional time of the year. In a way, it forces the readers to reimagine the month as something more dynamic. This works as a core theme, and it was something I found very fun! The recurring theme of ritual feels deeply personal, too. Life itself becomes a ritual through this narrative. You're not just writing about December; you’re showing us how it’s lived and felt.

But, I have to wonder: what does everything actually mean?

Some of the moments feel like they’re skimming the surface of something profound. What does it mean for God to love change, and how does that shape your own relationship with the divine or the season? I think that's a very beautiful concept to explore in writing, but I don't see the connection. The narrative meanders. There are many abstract reflections and personal anecdotes, but why?

My main suggestion would be to lean into the sacred. The connection between family, ritual, and divinity is where this easily shines! There is something that makes holiness show in these small moments, but it's not explained. It feels like there's something here that's much, much larger than December.

All the best!




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Sun Dec 08, 2024 2:29 am
theromanticchemist wrote a review...



Hey herb! Coming in with a review for this amazing longform.
There is so much to say about this, I don't know where to begin. You cover so much here, and it is all so profound. I will say, I wish the ideas were deepened a lot more. These are such big concepts and I just found myself wanting to know more about your views.
One thing I really loved was your usage of imagery--it helped add dimension to your ideas, and I really would have liked to see more! Also, some of the transitions between your concepts seemed a little stark, it would have been cool to sort of connect them more, provide a smooth transition. The switch from the January/December comparison to family especially seemed a bit disjointed.
But onto things I loved, of which there are many. This work seems so grounded and tangible, I almost feel the cold winter air with every sentence. The imagery takes me to the middle of a hallmark movie--it's just so cozy! It's also so interesting how you juxtapose the coldness of winter with the warmth of the traditions and familial bonds. You break the fourth wall a bit, but it never seems awkward, it's simply there, a part of the poem. I guess although it's categorized as a short story, it is just too poetic to not be a poem.
I cannot wait to see more, thank you for sharing this magnificent piece with yws!
<3, Meenal (theromanticchemist)




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Thu Dec 05, 2024 4:35 am
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eulogy says...



@dissonance





"Do not try to be pretty. You weren't meant to be pretty; you were meant to burn down the earth and graffiti the sky. Don't let anyone ever simplify you to just 'pretty'"
— Suzanne Rivard