Christmas Cheer

a little poem born out of this year's family Holiday card:

the seasons drift
the sun grows dim
the days so short and cold
the children reach
the parents mark
another inch toward old

the world awaits
with bated breath
the chance to celebrate
a lasting peace
a moments calm
a heavy heart's lost freight

the choir it sings
communal praise
words coursing past the dome
of heaven's stellar
roiling seas
a stone skipped through the foam

one single thought
though countless shared
one single prayer from man
the trembling, fragile
precious thanks
the gift of Bethlehem

the wings of night
can seem so long
stretched taught across the chill
the point of light
can look so small
atop a winter's hill

and so it is is
in darkest time
we celebrate the light
for cold helps us
to praise the fire
while pitch refines our sight

that we might share
our deepest love
along each gust of wind
and pray with you
the new year's hope
just as his elder ends

may seasons drift
may suns grow dim
may days be short and cold
may children reach
may parents mark
each Christmas story told.


Merry Christmas!