Standing in the
Doorway looking out
Wondering where your
Footprints went now
That they’re covered
By a fresh
Blanket of snow
All remains quiet
Except for the
Sound of winds
Creating drifts making
Me think that
You’re coming back
But all that
I get is
Cold that kind
Of cold that
Buried my heart
Right behind your
Now forgotten footprints
It’s on its
Way making its
Way to you
Brown and furry
Plush and warm
Something that listens
Sometimes to hold
If I could
Have I’d wrapped
Myself up and
Sent me instead
But apart we
Must be this
Christmas you there
So instead I
Sent you me
If I were stuffed
Because every boy
Needs a bear
I do remember
That it started
Like a bubble
Deep down there
Under ground somewhere
Or even maybe
Sometimes high above
Once or twice
I do recall
It happening too
A subtle eek
An infectious smile
Of quiet understanding
I am talking
About humor actually
Which surprises us
As silently quick
As Christmas tree
Lights do when
Once plugged in
A sweater some
Flannels a pair
Of fuzzy socks
One cup of
Marshmallow bobbing cocoa
A choral classic
Of familiar melodies
Glassy spheres of
Varying size and
Color a box
Full of green
Twinkling spaghetti whose
Plugs are buried
Beneath green blue
Red and yellow
Bulbs a kidnapped
Evergreen standing naked
A kaleidoscope of
Paper and ribbon
One closet stocked
Full of toys
A stack of
Holiday cards filled
With warm greetings
These are what
The holidays always
Mean to me
With each passing
Year I find
While hanging ornaments
Nostalgia rises like
Steam from coffee
Coating my spectacles
With misty memories
Some simply blur
While others produce
A tear for
Long ago moments
Christmas for me
Has become a
Time of remembering
Him then him
There him when
HARLAN DIDRICKSON 