Christmas Traveling

Early dark - December dusk;

headlights cocoon us,

still - we want the welcome which lies

just out of view:

The old home place - oil lamps -

delicate curtains and crocheted doilies;

Ghost scent from the coal stove;

Sunday dinner still on the table

beneath the checked cloth;

A hall tree laden with coats,

boots and gloves piled just inside the door;

A stairway which waits to be climbed,

waits for the exhale,

the purr of bodies beneath winter quilts,

waits to bestow the 2 AM creak.

December dark evening -

headlights and home enclose us

but we still want

what lies just out of sight:

Mystery, magic, excitement, romance;

Solace for the tears;

Bounty for every child;

A gift on the table

wrapped in cotton cloth

tied with silk ribbon;

Here the dilemma -

Will a mystery opened bring disappointment?

Do we want answers

or only the constant desire?

May you never loose

the wish for magic,

the allure of Bethlehem.