Spirited
A sudden presence.
He arrives through the pining air.
The wind has left the holly
To carry him here.
I wave my sleeping hand
To his lasting face:
A bright pure symbol
Displacing our pasts,
Perfect as a candle
At a yuletide feast.
Christmas Eve,
Each stained-glass dream
Filters his acceptance.
He's mid-winter himself
Stretching white-angled wings
To shadow the star and spire.
Our thoughts exchange-
As a wealth of presents
In his frost-feeling night.
Low fires and incense feed the
Hours. The far hours which carry
The Holy Gift:
A love complete,
Stepping, between
The stars.
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I KEEP MY SNOWMAN IN THE FREEZER
I keep my snowman in the freezer
Just behind the pies
He likes it there, he told me so
I can see it in his eyes.
I made him on a cold, cold morning
When the snow was fresh and deep
Now he sits in the freezer
Near the fish that we got cheap.
I keep my snowman in the freezer
And look at him each day.
If I’d left him in the garden
He’d simply have melted away.
But now he’s like my Grandma
Living somewhere safe and nice;
He’s in a frosty, snowy palace
On a throne of coldest ice.
I keep my snowman in the freezer
Near a lump of frozen beef
And I’ve got a treat for him in August:
I’m taking him to Tenerife!
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Christmas Magic
Are we too grownup to feel a thrill
As we light the Christmas tree?
Are we immune to cookies,
Christmas cards and Christmas glee?
Are we too adult to "Ooh" and "Aah"
At the Christmas candle's glow?
Are we blasé about our gifts;
Do we shun the mistletoe?
Are we too mature for carols,
For merry or for jolly?
Do the decorations leave us cold,
The ornaments and holly?
Fat chance! We'll never grow too old
To love the Christmas magic.
A year without a Christmas
Would be boring, even tragic.
So bring it on! The candy canes,
The feasting and good cheer;
O Christmas, lovely Christmas,
You're the highlight of the year!
