Advent Street

'Tis the season to be reading. Today's reading suggestion is Advent Street, by Carol Ann Duffy. Illustrations by Yelena Bryksenkova. Duffy write a poem like this every year for Christmas. I seldom read poetry, but reading her work has become a new Christmas tradition for me. This one is particular as the protagonist is actually the reader, as it is written using the second person. So whoever reads this is renting on Advent Street after a break up and explores the street and its inhabitants one December night. It's a lovely melancholic piece, where a lingering pain is treated but never fully cured by moments of festive happiness. It might sound dreary, but it is actually quite heartwarming.