Celebrating In A Dark Time

Celebrating in a Dark Time        Dec 9 2007   


Days get shorter and colder and we huddle more
Or we wish to
Or we wish to dig down and find a deep rest
Away from noise topside
Teeter-tottering between desire to sleep
And fear of going to sleep--
The desire for the warm dark
Against the chill void.

More and more, finding oneself alone in the world
A world of people
Realizing why, then,
The ancients burned fires on solstice
And found a way to feast the heart,
Giving us a precedent
To celebrate in a dark time.

It is a measure of a man
That he may find a way to rejoice on the darkest days
Not knowing, initially, what his outcome is
But putting faith in the return of the light
By welcoming some stranger--(even if it is himself)-- to the table,
With, “Come in, Friend, and bless this meal.”
When is it that we suddenly recognize this one?

People gather in our hearts as if risen from the dead
With memories and hopes becoming tangible aromas
And the company around the table swells

Yes
Light the fire
We will eat.




Sidney Barthell