Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing

A flowery band to bind us to the earth,

Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth

Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,

Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkened ways

Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,

Some shape of beauty moves away the pall

From our dark spirits.

―John Keats, "Endymion"

Holiday greetings from the Far Left Coast.That shape of beauty Keats invokes can be elusive. This time of year it somehow shines a little brighter.

Christmas in Tulsa with Trani and the family became a tradition after Mom stepped on a rainbow in 1997. Last year while in Portland for the obvious reason I reflected on those Tulsa Christmases in the blog post Christmas 2020: Livin' on Tulsa time in my heart. Yesterday I revisited those memories and the photo essay Livin' on Tulsa Time 2019 on the Portable Bohemia Gallery page and glimpsed again that shape of beauty.

A touch of melancholy colors the holidays in Portland again this year.Somehow in spite of all beauty and joy color them too. It comes with cards from friends and family.

It comes with thoughts of Trani and Candace, the cousins Susan, Rae, and Little Lynn, other cousins too, and sweet remembrance of those who are gone, my sister, Elaine, Mom, Granny, my cousin Mary.

It comes with thoughts of nephews and nieces, Dan, Rachel, Jennifer, Warren. If life had played out differently and I had children, I could not be happier than to have them fit in with these guys. The best.

It comes with the example of my old Atlanta friend Connie Venuso who since 2003 has volunteered on medical missions in India, Tibet, Ecuador, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Nepal. A few years ago at the age of 70 she was in Bangladesh at a refugee camp for Rohingya Muslims. On this year's card Connie wrote, "I volunteered on the Mexican border in refugee camps recently. It was a good experience! We need to do more!!"

For more about Connie's story: Gracie Bonds Staples, Overseas work makes nurse long for more merciful immigration policy, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 25, 2018.

It comes with a message out of the blue from an office colleague who returned with his family to his native Australia and appears to be flourishing there. He found me through an old LinkedIn account I never got around to deleting. It is good to be back in touch. One thing social media is good for.

It comes when my old Atlanta comrade in poetry Chuck Oliveros keeps it going with his Post-a-Poem Friday on Facebook. And when I see that the artists Stephen Stoller and Jerry Pagane are still at it.

It comes when kind words from Elaine Falone reinforce my faith in that dream of being a poet I had when I was nineteen. Like Steve and Jerry, Elaine is another talented friend from the Atlanta Little 5 Points era, a fine poet, painter, and actor in her own right.

There is no way I can top this message on the card from another office colleague/friend and her family: "Hope your 2021 didn't suck. Either way, here's to a great 2022!" 2021 did not pan out as we hoped, and 2022 looks dicey rolling in. But Connie went to the Mexican border. And David found me on LinkedIn and reached out. Elaine says my poems are good. Chuck and Steve and Jerry are still at it. And the family. And Sylvia and Pete in Eugene.

I could go on. There are many more. Maybe the best gift is the reminder how rich life is, in spite of all.

So let's hope and dream for a better 2002. Best wishes to everyone. And thanks for reading Portable Bohemia.

Two new blog posts

• Afternoon Wandering with Camera on the 1st of December, December 1, 2021. I took the bus downtown and strolled through Pioneer CourthAouse Square where the city's Christmas tree arrived on November 5 to be fitted out for the annual tree-lighting ceremony on the Friday after Thanksgiving.Then up to Park Avenue Cafe…read more>>
• Democrat Follies, Autocrats on the Rise, and Rethinking My Own Follies, December 12, 2021. There has been some interesting reporting about the use of "Latinx" to describe people in the U.S. who trace their roots to Latin America and Spain. The term is fashionable in progressive circles…read more>>

Keep the faith.

yr obdt svt

Pictured below: Wild beast sighting along Davis-Everett Neighborhood Greenway somewhere around NE 50th Avenue give or take a block or several.