First, I wish all of you who celebrate the Christmas holidays a beautiful and joyful celebration. To all my readers everywhere, I wish the blessings of peace and love and joy; however far away they sometimes seem, they are the gifts of all gifts.
On Christmas Eve
It's Christmas Eve; I do not have a stable,
But I hear my ponies all around me, eating,
And I think again of the old ageless fables
Of a birth—the gentlest of new hearts is beating,
All the sheep and oxen round him kneeling
As he lies where they are fed. And slowly,
Through confusion, broken heartbeats I am feeling,
I sense again the wonder of the holy;
I'm certain that behind these moments that I ponder
There is a goodness greater than my anguish; in it
Still my mind and heart have space to wander,
While I share this time, each mute and kindly minute
Passing with the heartbeats all around me,
Knowing that the meaning of this Presence
Makes us one and holy, feeling that these sounds be
Blended with the angels’ songs in heaven’s essence.
The night skies—the skies at all times of day or night, in fact—have been magnificent here as the weather has begun to bring us some much needed moisture. Sometimes the stars and moon can only just be glimpsed. And sometimes the clouds set off their brilliance.
A Sonnet in the Night Wind
The clouds stand still. The stars above them fly
Along the deeps of inky blue that trace
Their course along the curve of nighttime’s race,
Glimpsed through a parting in the clouds. My eye
Can just–through banks of creamy white–descry
The distant fleet-foot stars at wind’s own pace
Fly through and leave their dazzle on my face.
The clouds stand still, I swear. And there so high
Above them race the stars. And down the night
A cleft within the clouds has opened wide
Enough to let a burst of moon take flight
Upon the wind, though moon’s bright self still hides.
The clouds stand still. The wind flows from my sight,
But stars and moonlight flow upon its tides.
Beautiful. Thank you for everything, Christine-the wishes, and the poems. May you and your loved ones have warm, joyful, and peaceful holidays
"There is a goodness greater than my anguish", that's a good line.
and I like "each mute and kindly minute", with all the heartbeats around.
They can be the most comforting thing. thanks and Merry Christmas Amy.