SOMETHING WONDERFUL THIS WAY COMES

In the glistening embers of dawn, the sun has bequeathed the day
The landscape’s frosty beard recedes beneath the flora
Warriors of light have slain the cold, now entombed
Resurrection awaits late fall’s last dance with nature
As winter will soon be her partner
Yet on this day, metamorphosis is at hand
Within a vignette of seasonal discourse, a joy is stirring
A molting of softer hearts and higher hopes
From the chrysalis of stressful angst
A credo of mindfulness now our mantra
Celebration in our hearts, inebriation in our heads
The feverish feeling grows, intoxicating
Its origin a mystery, its intent welcomed
Cast from the North Star high above the water
Like snow squalls, it bounds across the land
Luminescence embraces the empty beach
Crashing against a moonlit shore
Up the beach road into the cradle of downtown
Across the common to play in the park
Whirling tendrils of joy pirouetting in the crisp air
The feeling grows faster, faster and faster still
Riding frosty winds of December, streaking again to the ocean
Tossing the icy sands into leapfrog waves of the bay
To be thrown back in frothy drops and scooped up
By winds now elated, dancing up the cliffs to cross marshes
Soon kissing streets in the north, flirting with farmland
Finally embracing outer neighborhoods and beyond
In your heart, have you seen it? In your soul, have you felt it?
In the bounty of your table on that last Thursday in November
In the need for giving that springs within you
In the mesmerizing colors that glow in the night
In the smells of pine and cinnamon and gingerbread
In the roaring fire of the hearth, crackling our joy
In the ringing of the bells, calling to our grace
In the singing of carols, voicing our faith
In the love for the less fortunate, yet most deserving
In children’s eyes of joy, their dreams strewn across torn paper
In the noisemakers as the silver ball drops
In exploding colors burning the sky
In the celebration of a new year, a new leaf
But mostly in each other, if we allow ourselves to see it
The smiles we share, our burdens put aside
The struggles we endure, yet not alone
The challenges calmed, for now there is hope
It’s the spirit of the Holiday Season, let it be so for all our lives