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Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!

12/24/2020

24 Comments

 
For the holiday season this year, I wanted to share my "Christmas Crab" poem, in hopes of bringing a little joy to the world with these beautiful, colorful crabs! Though this year has been grim, there is still much in the world to celebrate, such as Christmas Crabs performing their mating rituals uninterrupted. I look forward to a time when we humans can get back on track. I wish you all peace and pray for a better year in 2021!
The Red Crabs of Christmas Island

From the forest, males are sprawling.
Over craggy cliffs, they’re crawling,
scuttling toward the sea.
 
Into sandy shores, they furrow,
digging a protective burrow,
near the sounding sea.
 
Now the frantic females hurry.
To the waiting males they scurry,
skittering toward the sea.
 
Eggs are laid where water’s creeping.                                                                       
Waves come closer, sweeping, sweeping
egg sacs out to sea. 
 
Baby crabs, born in the ocean,                              
synchronize their sideways motion.                    
Millions leave the seas,                                   
 
and head back to the trees.

published in The National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry, 2015, ed. J. Patrick Lewis, 
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When Pat Lewis asked me for a poem for this upcoming anthology, I had several ideas. One of them was to write a poem using Christmas metaphors. Here it is:

The Red Crabs of Christmas Island
 
The crabs of Christmas Island,
work hard to give their gifts. 
They scuttle miles from forest homes,
and crawl down craggy cliffs.
 
The female crabs lay treasures,
then wrap them in a sac.
They leave their gifts for tides to take,
and then they double back.
 
In one month, newborn crablets
come tumbling from the foam.
Then, like their parents, they climb up
to find a forest home.



But though I was happy with the Christmas metaphors I managed to squeeze into this version, I was ultimately unhappy with this poem, and drafted another version (the one above). I'm glad I did!

Here's to a new year of poetry, light and happiness. Wishing you all the best in 2021!
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24 Comments
Linda Mitchell
12/24/2020 04:21:11 pm

How neat to see a peek into your revision process. I would have been happy with version #1. But, I like the specificity of the final draft. Well done and hooray for publication!

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BJ Lee
12/24/2020 05:11:49 pm

Thank you, Linda!

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Patricia Cruzan link
12/24/2020 08:58:55 pm

I enjoyed reading your poems. I like both versions but like the three line stanza one better.

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BJ Lee
12/25/2020 12:15:59 pm

Thank you Patricia! Glad I went with that one, then :-)

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Michelle Kogan link
12/24/2020 10:00:49 pm

Hi BJ, always enlightening to see how a poem transforms through drafts… I like the repeating refrain that " sea" and it's variations has in the third line of each stanza, it keeps us moving forward.
Thanks, for sharing both–Happy Holidays!

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BJ Lee
12/25/2020 12:22:00 pm

Thank you Michelle! I had forgotten that I even did that. Thanks for reminding me and that it was also effective. Happy holidays to you

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Bridget Magee link
12/25/2020 12:41:11 am

Both versions of your poem are 'claw-some', BJ. It is always fascinating to see a poem's progression through the revision process. Wishing you and yours a 'crab-ulous' holiday. :)

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BJ Lee
12/25/2020 12:24:18 pm

haha, clawsome! Thanks for making me laugh! Wishing you and your family a Crab-u-lous holiday as well!

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Irene Latham
12/25/2020 05:25:10 am

Thank you for sharing the revision of your Christmas crabs! So glad the poem found its way into the anthology. xo

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BJ Lee
12/25/2020 12:25:39 pm

Thank you Irene! Me too! Happy holidays to you!

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Linda Baie link
12/25/2020 05:30:44 am

I like that you connect the crabs laying and wrapping their treasures, Bj. Thanks for sharing both for this Christmas Day. Merry Christmas to you & yours!

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BJ Lee
12/25/2020 12:27:56 pm

Hi Linda, thank you for your comments! Yes, I was kind of torn between these two versions because I did like the Christmas metaphors in the first version

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Ruth link
12/25/2020 06:16:52 am

I like both versions, but I agree that the final one is better! I love the rhymes. I read a story about turtles and how they were doing so much better this year because there weren't as many people on the beaches. I wonder if the crabs are the same?

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BJ Lee
12/25/2020 12:28:53 pm

Thank you Ruth! Yes, it is possible. I'm glad to hear that the turtles are doing better and it was wonderful to see the wild animals coming into the city during lock down.

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Liz
12/25/2020 12:45:52 pm

I've always liked this one, BJ!

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BJ Lee
12/25/2020 04:47:01 pm

Thaniks, Liz! Truly miss you in the garage. You have a unique voice! Happy Holidays to you!

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Rosi Hollinbeck link
12/25/2020 04:49:25 pm

I actually like both versions. Fun to see part of your process. Thanks for the post. Merry Christmas to you.

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BJ Lee
12/26/2020 12:10:53 pm

Thanks Rosi! I like both versions too. Ultimately, it was a slight preference & my crit group nudged me too. Happy Holidays!

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Carol Varsalona link
12/25/2020 10:41:55 pm

BJ, it is good to see you at PF this week. Revision is the key to happiness in writing. I do like your 2nd version for the anthology and am happy you took the time to share these poems with us. Happy Holidays.

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BJ Lee
12/26/2020 12:09:37 pm

thanks Carol! Good to be back. Happy Holidays!

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Mary Lee
12/26/2020 04:29:36 am

More appreciation for your process post! The one that was ultimately published is definitely the one that was meant for print!

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BJ Lee
12/26/2020 12:12:03 pm

Thanks Mary Lee. Glad I made the right choice! Happy Holidays to you!

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Liz Garton Scanlon link
12/27/2020 05:40:55 am

I love that you kept revising, even after it had been published. What lovely imagery -- concrete and metaphoric -- you captured!

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BJ Lee
12/27/2020 03:28:29 pm

Thanks, Liz! I didn't actually keep revising after it was published. Sorry, if I wasn' clear. The poem which appears first was the one that ended up getting published.

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    B. J. Lee is a children’s author and poet. Her picture book, There Was an Old Gator Who Swallowed a Moth, is launching with Pelican Publishing on February 15, 2019. She has poems in 25 poetry anthologies published by  Little, Brown, Wordsong, BloomsburyUK, National Geographic, Otter-Barry Books, Pomelo Books, and Chicken Soup for the Soul. She has worked with anthologists Lee Bennett Hopkins, J. Patrick Lewis and Kenn Nesbitt. She has written poems for such children’s magazines as Spider, Highlights and The School Magazine. Follow her on Twitter @bjlee_writer.

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