We start with strands of colored lights,
then hang the glass ball ornaments,
rose gold and teal orbs
on thin wiry hooks,
featherweight
and fragile
Cross-stitched tin solders and snowflakes,
along with satin parasols
that mom made by hand
three decades ago,
candy canes,
icicles,
A lace garland to finish off.
We sit and admire our hard work,
inhaling the scent
of fresh cut blue spruce,
it’s lovely,
it’s dying.
Try as we might, we can’t stop time,
the cycle of seasons spins on,
pine needles will fall,
the years will slip by,
you’ll grow old,
so will I.
What’s the point of festivity?
Blurry snapshots and memories?
Without faith and hope
it’s futility,
just a tree,
but it’s more!
We celebrate a source of life
even greater than evergreens,
a far brighter light,
the grand gift given
on that one
Holy Night!
About the Creator
D.K. Shepard
Character Crafter, Witty Banter Enthusiast, World Builder, Unpublished novelist...for now
Fantasy is where I thrive, but I like to experiment with genres for my short stories. Currently employed as a teacher in Louisville.
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More stories from D.K. Shepard and writers in Poets and other communities.
The steps to losing a child
Step One: Lose a child. Not what anyone wants to happen and nothing you can do to change it, but you can go through steps to becoming happy again. You can go through steps to loving again. You can go through steps to become a new you because after losing a child you will never be the same person you once were.
By Tabitha Hinkley3 days ago in Fiction
Comments (30)
Wonderful, so glad this placed. Well done 😁
Well-wrought and well-deserved!
Congratulations on placing, DK!
Congratulations, DK! This is gorgeously done. Such wonderful imagery and wording. Pure magic!
OH ffs. I thought I had commented on this. dEfinitely read it when it was published. This is wonderful and I love your take on the season and reflections on it. Beautiful work and I smiled bigily as I worked my way down the piece talking about the winner's and saw so many names, including yours too! So, well done to you! Glad to share the winner's circle with you, pal!
Congrats D.K! Well done
Back to say a hearty congrats on the recognition!! I so appreciate this piece - wonderful imagery, and a channel straight to the spiritual depth of the holiday.
Amen and Congratulations!!
Brilliant & beautiful!!! Congratulations on the runner up win!!!❤️❤️💕
Yippee!🙌🥳… Congratulations 🤩 I especially love the last verse!💖
Congrats on your win!!!!! 🥳🥳🥳 ❣️
Congratulations on Runner Up. - Well Deserved.
Congratulations for Runner Up in the Challenge!!
Back to say congrats!
This is such a lovely poem, D.K.! Congrats on honorable mention in the challenge! 🎉
Yay DK!!! Congrats on honourable mention!!! 🎉
Such a lovely and genuinely heartfelt poem. Congratulations on placing in the challenge with it - your poem is ever so worthy.
Oh this one got me. Three decades ago.
When will we learn to cherish each day thus? Well-wrought!
Beautiful, lucid work as always - and so insightfully cutting to the heart of the season. I so appreciate this piece, D.K.!
This ties it all together perfectly. Wonderful poem, D.K!
Excellent poem… cuts to the heart of Christmas!✅
Such a heartwarming piece! Starts with the simple joys of decorating a tree, dives into the bittersweet passage of time, and wraps it all up with a beautiful reminder of hope and faith. A poetic ode to what makes the season truly bright! :)
Beautifully written. Well done.
It’s lovely, it’s dying. Wow - great lines. I thought this was so good.