Poem: "The Candle Burns Not for Us"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem came out of the December 6, 2016 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by a prompt from Dreamwidth user Dialecticdreamer.  It also fills the "loss of vision" square in my 6-16-15 card for the Hurt/Comfort Bingo fest.  This poem belongs to the Dr. Infanta thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.  It immediately follows the first half of "Die

Comments

[thnidu]

Oh, that meadow is lovely. Yes, it is a very good place for them to meet.

[thnidu]

• 100 vivid green grass that slopes
> Line number out

Fixed!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Thanks.

[technoshaman]

Oh, oh.

What was Alicia's birth tradition? Because what came to me wasn't the Catholic or Lutheran word, but the Yiddish word: Yahrzeit. Memory candle.

[thnidu]

Yahrzeit is specifically the anniversary of a death, on the Jewish calendar--the date on the common or Gregorian calendar can vary by a month or more from year to year. Literally, 'year time' our 'time of (one) year'.
More generally, Yizkor (lit. 'remembrance') prayers for the dead are recited four times a year, on specific dates.

[thnidu]

Yahrzeit, lit. 'year-time', is the anniversary of a death, reckoned by the Jewish calendar. The candle is called a Yahrzeit candle or Yizkor candle: Yizkor (lit. 'remembrance') prayers are recited four times a year, on specific dates.

[technoshaman]

Oh, oh.

What was Alicia's birth tradition? Because what came to me wasn't the Catholic or Lutheran word, but the Yiddish word: Yahrzeit. Memory candle.

Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm not sure. Likely it was some form of Christianity, because she was born in Europe about 700 years ago when that was pretty popular. But Alicia was a peasant girl and probably had very little actual exposure to religion until later. It may be that folk beliefs were more salient to her awareness. Since then she's gone through all kinds of things, probably including Judaism.

[anonymous]

Whew.

Pulls no punches, this one. But in a really good way. I've noticed that things that are disturbing as hell in theory are, in practice, as disturbing as the amount of emotional investment I let myself have; in fiction, that's related to my trust in the author, my investment in the characters, the way the setting and tone shape the connotations of serious events, and the way I personally do or don't care about the topic(s) discusses. This one mattered to me. I'll need to go back and reread several times now to process.

--alatefeline

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Pulls no punches, this one.<<

I did my best to convey that in the warnings. Did I miss any that would have been helpful?

>> But in a really good way.<<

Yay!

>> I've noticed that things that are disturbing as hell in theory are, in practice, as disturbing as the amount of emotional investment I let myself have; <<

To some extent this is true for me; it's a malleable part of the range. Mood is another variable, and what I use warnings for when I'm reading. There are also things I never want to read.

>> in fiction, that's related to my trust in the author, my investment in the characters, the way the setting and tone shape the connotations of serious events, and the way I personally do or don't care about the topic(s) discusses. <<

Agreed. I am flattered by how many people will follow me into very challenging areas.

>> This one mattered to me. I'll need to go back and reread several times now to process. <<

I'm glad you found it so moving.