Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving / all of my family gathered around the table / talking about all the things we’re thankful for / & how much has happened since the last time we met up / & I’m basking in the glow / basking in the glow of the love / it feels so beautiful to be here amongst all the people I love the best / just knowing that they are here for me, that they love me, & that they will keep on loving me, no matter what
talking around the table / smiling & laughing & passing the sweet potatoes from person to person & dishing some onto our plates / the room is alive with noise & conversation & happiness / everyone is smiling, eyes are bright / & that glow, that ineffable, invisible glow that connects us / it is a bond that cannot be broken / I’m sitting there looking at all of the faces around me / & at all of us, so happy together
grandmothers & grandfathers & cousins / uncles & aunts & brothers & sisters & parents / engaged completely in the moment, completely alive, feeling the love we know so well / & the dog is sitting by the table / hoping that someone will drop a scrap of food for him / & the cat is hiding somewhere / irked by the commotion in our house
passing the food around the table again & listening to everyone’s stories about what they’ve done / & the things they will do / & the things that are important to them / sharing with us the little bits & pieces of their lives, little pieces & stories being spoken of so that each of us can record these memories into our own / then we’re laughing & joking some more / the air is alive with happiness / & eating delicious food while we’re doing so
& as all of this happens I’m looking around at it all / absorbed in the moment & in everything around me / watching it all happen so that I can remember it always / & the true meaning of thanksgiving fills my heart & I realize just how thankful I am / just how thankful I am for our food & my family & my pets, & our house & belongings & the cold weather outside & the cozy fireplace in the living room / & I’m so thankful, so thankful for the love that we share
– because that’s what I’m most thankful for
Black Friday
day after Thanksgiving people are rushing around, hurried rushed hasty excited thrilled inspired / waking early before the sun even has a chance to rise & & driving thru the clear cold morning / & snow piles alongside the road reflecting the sun growing larger upon the horizon, the sun rising into a world where the night is crystallized & frozen in perfect stillness & now is waking up, coming alive again / before the sun is even up people swarming into the streets & parking lots & cars, shivering in their coats as the car warms up / hats on their heads mittens on their fingers hair pressed down over their ears / & people covered in coats of every color of the rainbow as they dance & walk & trample & swirl & twirl across the parking lots & into the opened doors of stores / all talking about what things they hope to buy / when they reach the stores see them rushing from their cars & arriving at the doors just as the doors are finally being opened / the thrill of being in this crowd of people / being in this crowd of people as they rush inside stores (some are leaving their tents in the parking lots) / light streaming into the darkened parking lots from opened store doorways / welcoming / & inside the stores, people rushing rushing rushing looking at the advertisements & shopping lists that they hold hurrying towards the places where they’ll find what they’re looking for / rushing & bustling amongst the streaming clouds to get to where they’re going / & when they find what they want they fill their carts with all kinds of wonderful things & look at more sale signs & picking out gifts for friends & family & for themselves / they wait in long lines at the checkout counters ringing up items hear the cacophony of voices bustling / the people leave the store with their gift filled bags / & then they head back to their cars & drive off heading for the next store, ready to do it all over again
Cozy Clothing
sweaters & scarves & hats
bundled in their warmth
wrapped by their silky softness
comforted by their embrace
& warmed by the memories
of people we know lovingly knitting them
& sending them to us so we could keep warm
or picking out something beautiful for ourselves
when we were shopping
& saw things that made us smile, decided to buy them
& now we wear these cozy items
which embrace us & make us feel safe & warm & happy
as we venture out into the land
a wonderland of snow
First Snow
looking out the window in the evening
when it’s dark & the moon has just risen
over the pale horizon of tall pine trees
& seeing the sudden surprise of snow!
snow!
snow!
gentle snowflakes falling gracefully from the heavens
& dancing
dancing
as they fall to earth & settle on the ground
falling upon the horizon, see them sparkling in the air
see them glittering as they dance down towards us
watching ^ watching snow flurries
see the snowflakes in their winter ballet
dancing to invisible music
& painting the landscape white
watching as everything comes to life with winter’s allure
the trees the cars the sidewalks mailboxes & rooftops
covered covered in sparkling snowflakes
schools will be closed tomorrow
& the big plows will cruise the roads
as they make snowy mountains alongside the pavement
& the children will climb onto the piles & play on them
the snow falls, the snow dances
winter is here
proclaimed by the first snow of the season
staring out my window in awe of the snow
elegance at its finest
oh calm, peaceful, sacred night in front of me
as snowflakes continue their graceful downward dance
& reveling in the magic & beauty & glow
of this winter’s
first snow
Snowflakes
snowflakes, forming high up in the clouds
just so that they may dance down
& become the building blocks for forts
& snowmen
& the paint of the winter landscape
just so they may make us smile
as they remind us that it is that warm, caring time of year
when everyone feels kindly towards one another
& so they can bring with them feelings of Christmas
& decorate the trees & buildings & streetlamps
as we decorate the evergreen inside our house
snowflakes falling, dancing down
just so that we may see
everything sparkling
with Christmas happiness
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