‘Twas the Beginning of Another New Year
When all through the house
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even The Spouse.
Grievances were hung
By the chimey with care,
In self-righteousness,
hurt, and a little despair.
The children were nestled
All snug in their beds,
While visions of parties
Danced in their heads.
And I in my jammies drank a nightcap,
Hubby snored his loudest despite the new app,
When out on the lawn
there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my recliner
To see what was the matter!
Christmas was spent with its every red scent
Christmas was over, along with my every red cent!
There to the doorway I tripped like a flash.
The waning moon on the breast Of the freshest green grass Gave me to wonder If I was being an ass, For what to my wondering eyes should appear?
But a bonfire, family, and friends once so dear.
Both ornery and loving,
Most crazy, some smart:
I saw family and friends,
Even those pandemically apart.
I jumped back inside,
Donning a robe, gave a whistle;
Strode through the doorway
(Trying hard not to bristle).
AGAIN!.. but what to my wondering eyes should appear?
“As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,”
The bonfire was burning away every tear!
Tho’ 2021 was an even worse year,
Every suffering, loss, hurt and pain
Was flying away—like Aragorn’s bane!
The fire with Emmanuel’s Love shone:
Reflecting the dear ones, once so alone.
And as we drank, ate, smiled,
and burnt last year’s “trash,”
We watched all our fears turning to ash.
We toasted, we roasted, we even kissed
—served up apologizies sadly, so nearly missed–
We all heard our hearts speak in embers’ final glow
And whispering to both young and to the great old:
“Happy New Year to all,
And to all a Good Fight,
for adventures begin here:
Let this goodly gold light
take away the cold of Today’s dark and fright.
May this silver, waning moon
Give you promising sight.”
There’s no room for grudges, there’s no room for fears,
The room is a stable and it wipes away tears.
The curtain, opened to eternity last–
Their wrongs are gone; yours are long past.
To heal we first feel–to heal we must deal–
Let us forgive–I repeat–then we can heal.
And it is right here—this place—first, we must kneel.”