As another year comes slowly (or well, already?) to its end, it marks that time for many to reflect and look forward, both at the same time. This year, like the previous year, has definitely been unique. It has been a learning experience and an enlightening one as well. And I ended up looking for quotes as I started thinking more about it. So before I share my thoughts, here are some cool thoughts from cool people, about endings and beginnings that’re simply beautiful:

All endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time. – Mitch Albom

Life is not so much about beginnings and endings as it is about going on and on and on. It is about muddling through the middle. ~Anna Quindlen

Every thing must have a beginning … and that beginning must be linked to something that went before. ~Mary Shelley

Poetic Sundays: The Mirror Sestet Form For Endings and Beginnings

With the theme of endings and beginnings in mind, I picked the mirror sestet form today. I found it over on ShadowPoetry and it is a pretty straight forward form by itself. As the name suggests, this invented form is a sestet or a six line poem, and the mirroring refers to the fact that the words of each couplet mirror each other in a specific way.

So What is the Mirror Sestet Form?

The Mirror Sestet, created by Shelley A. Cephas, is a poem that can be written in one or more stanzas of 6 lines each. To be specific, each sestet (6-line stanza) gets its mirror name because of the following:

First, the first words of lines 1, 3, and 5 each rhyme with the last words of lines 1, 3, and 5. Next, the first and last words of lines 1, 3, and 5 switch to become the first and last words of lines 2, 4, and 6. That is, the first words of odd numbered lines become the last words of the even numbered lines and vice versa.

Note that you could choose to skip the rhyming words, and simply mirror any chosen words instead.

The Mirror Sestet

So, the mirror sestet form’s basic elements are that it is

• stanzaic: written as one or more sestets (each of which can be written as a six-line stanza or as a series of three independent or connected couplets)
• linked/mirrored: first word of lines 1, 3, and 5 is repeated as the last word of lines 2, 4, and 6; while last word of lines 1, 3, and 5 is repeated as the first word of lines 2, 4, and 6
• rhymed: the first and last words of each line rhyme (note: poet can choose to keep these non-rhymed too)
• other points: you can have any number of sestets; you can choose to rhyme or not rhyme but you have to mirror the words; sestets and/or couplets within each sestet can be standalones or linked to tell a whole story or have a common theme; meter and rhythm is up to the poet

My first attempt

Up-end-ed Plans
We were hoping the stunning Arches to see
See our familiar walls in the end did we

So very cool performances should’ve made us glow
glow with joy, with thrill, but it was not to be so

You know, All is well that ends well, that’s true
True it is that home always does wonders for you.
~Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites

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On My Blog

My recent posts since and including my last Sunday Scribblings:

• It’s a Wonderful List of Holiday Movies Based on Books
• Bookish Gifts I’d Love to See Under the Tree
• Sunday Scribblings #88: All That Holiday Magic & Love, Life, and Laughter

And At Home

Well, we should have watched Cirque du Soleil’s Ka at MGM in Las Vegas on Tuesday and spent hours exploring the stunning vistas of Arches National Park over the next few days this last week. But as I mentioned in last week’s post, my DH fell sick right as my daughter started recovering, and we had to cancel our trip. Thankfully, his Covid results came back negative but he is still recovering so we are taking it easy for now.

As for me, I ended up writing a couple of posts which I otherwise wouldn’t have, and got some more Cybils reading done. We are reaching our deadline for round one, and you will soon see the finalists for each category as the new year arrives.

Upcoming

On My Blog and Home Front

I will try to work on some more mini reviews for other books I have read (for Cybils and otherwise) over the next couple of days. At home, we will keep it simple and stay put so the kids are ready for school once the holidays are over. (Thankfully, my college bound freshman got his booster the week he got home!)

As I mentioned earlier, you can expect to see the finalists for the Cybils Awards at the start of the new year, and I will post about that here as well once the lists are out. For reading inspiration, you can check out previous finalists and winners here.

This Week’s Celebrations

Literary Celebrations (close-to-it also!)

• Literary birthdays this week include: Dec 27th is to celebrate Elizabeth Smart; the 28th of December is Mortimer J. Adler ;Jenny Lawson is 29th December; Rudyard Kipling on the 30th of December; Holbrook Jackson, Junot Díaz, and Nicholas Sparks on the 31st of December; E.M. Forster, J.D. Salinger, Olivia Goldsmith on January 1st; Isaac Asimov on the 2nd of January
• January 2nd is National Science Fiction Day (Because, as you know already, it is Isaac Asimov’s birthday!)

Foodie Celebrations

• Dec 27th is National Fruitcake Day
• National Chocolate Candy Day is on the 28th of Dec
• Dec 29th is National Pepper Pot Day
• National Bicarbonate of Soda Day on the 30th
• 31st is National Champagne Day
• National Cream Puff Day is on the 2nd of January

Other Celebrations

• National Short Film Day, National Card Playing Day, and Pledge of Allegiance Day on the 28th
• Tick Tock Day on 29th is a reminder of the year drawing to an end and to check on any unfinished tasks we might need to complete for the calendar year
• 31st is Make Up Your Mind Day, New Years Eve, and Universal Hour of Peace 

Multi-Day Events

• Christmas Bird Count Week: December 14-January 5
• January is National Hot Tea Month, National Oatmeal Month, National Soup Month
• It is also National Hobby Month and National Braille Literacy Month

Wrapping up my Sunday Scribblings

So dear reader, you have reached the end of this Sunday Scribblings! As always, I welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions about this post. And do let me know if you plan to celebrate any of these mentioned celebrations this coming week/month?

Linking this to the Sunday Post over at the Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Salon