a/n:prompt from Sui Generis Paroxysm:-tintinnabulations-
tintinnabulation-the ringing or sounding of bells
Holmes and companions do not belong to me
Thanks again to anony9 for such kind reviews.
A very Merry Christmas to all!
POV of Watson
Bells
Tintinnabulations:
Trust Holmes to use that word;
Instead of simply mentioning
The peal of bells we'd heard.
I'm not sure where the time has gone;
The years have flown so fast:
I pause, recalling other bells
Which rang in days long past.
~0~
Goat bells;
A sound evocative of Afghan army days;
Mixed in with market chatter,
And with heat and dust and haze;
And the sense of not belonging
In a distant, troubled land.
The harsh routine of army life...
Maiwand.
~0~
Wedding bells;
A joyful sound; proclaiming far and wide
A simple marriage ceremony;
Mary at my side.
A day of such great happiness
Burns bright then disappears.
But memories sustain me through
Much darker, troubled years
~0~
Tibetan prayer bells;
Holmes described the depth and range of tone;
That winter, after Reichenbach;
A Christmas, all alone.
That Christmas I spent quietly
With my beloved wife.
My grief for Holmes soon balanced
By the promise of new life...
~o~
No peals rang out
One wintertime;
All bells were hushed and still:
The echoes in my empty house,
Which sound could never fill.
The days and nights merged endlessly,
When those I loved were gone.
A lonely future lay ahead
When three became just one.
~0~
The frantic doorbell ringing
Of an urgent, desperate case;
The journey through deserted streets
No clues to what I'd face.
The weary journey homeward;
Little chance to go to bed.
The start of yet another
Morning surgery instead.
~0~
Tintinnabulations:
Bells are ringing all around,
And even Holmes is brightened
By this tuneful, joyful sound.
Whatever this detective,
And close comrade, might believe.
He'll raise a glass to "Peace on Earth"
Upon this Christmas Eve.
~0~