A whirlwind of demands, a cyclone of time:

Projects yank willy-nilly, a pressured paradigm,

disrupting my rhythms, denying reason and rhyme.

So my days stumble on in this frenzied wintertime.

Then today: ebony night awakes slowly to grey

Clouds backlit by dawn, brief glimmering displays

of ribbons that shimmer & herald daybreak:

Crimson, rose, scarlet, ocher in quiet riot outbreak;

Calling mind, heart & spirit to focus & wake.

Relief! Calm & peace by this beauty unmasked;

birthing pause ‘midst the flurry of seasonal tasks.

In this moment so tranquil, the dawn-ribbons bloom

from the longest night’s vigil, solstice’s womb.

Midst the world’s strife and anger, violence and unrest,

can such beauty and tranquility our tolerance resurrect?   

As I wake, coffee sipping, and gaze on our tree

decked with angels, toys, birds and icicles swinging free,

I send hope that your heart, life, & year may be filled

with bounteous joy, grace, and patience; love for all, and goodwill.