Silent night

A seasonal poem by Terri Kirby Erickson

.

A pair of geese fly by the snow-laden branches

of bare trees surrounding an old fish camp cabin.

It holds within its wooden walls the memory of

a thousand birds of their kind, joyfully honking,

their wings striking the frigid air again and again—

and the voices of fishermen telling tales of rain-

bow trout—the ones that got away, their freckled

fins flicking through clear, clean water. But the

fishermen have gone now and the river is mostly

frozen. Perhaps there was, moments ago, the flash

of a red fox as it crossed the snow-covered hills,

but there is no sign of it, nor any deer that might

have gathered there and leaped out of view. And

though it will be dark soon, there is no darkness

yet—only a pale-yellow glow that fills the late

evening sky like lamplight shining from home’s

welcoming windows. Before too long, in distant

towns and cities, there will be carolers singing

and wreathes on doors, families gathered around

tables. But Christmas has come already to these

quiet woods where wild geese fly and light pools

like liquid gold in places where the river ice has

parted. Here, a silent night is broken only by the

sound of the wind, the warm exhalations of wood-

land creatures settling into their boroughs beneath

the stars, their thick blankets of fresh-fallen snow.

…..

Overflow:

My thanks to Terri for this special poem, a gift to the regular readers of Meditations, as well as anyone else who might have found their way here. She is one of my favorite people as well as one of my favorite poets. I hope that you will all meet her at some point.

We share a friend and publisher, Kevin Morgan Watson. If you like, you can buy her latest book of poems here: https://www.press53.com/poetry-collections/night-talks-new-selected-poems

Learn more about her here: www.terrikirbyerickson.com

My book, “Stardust and Scar Tissue,” is available as well: https://www.press53.com/mick-scott

Holidays, as last week’s essay said, are more often about togetherness than anything else: presents, religious observance, ritual.

But for me, they usually contain some element of solitude and contemplation. Like many people who live alone, I’ve learned to lean into the experience.

So it is that I’ll sit quietly this evening, by candlelight, and listen to some soft music. I’ll light a palo santo stick and allow its astringent scent to season the air. I expect Grandma, the next-door neighbor’s cat, to saunter past my kitchen window, and if the sky is clear, for stars to fill the sky.

I’m grateful for the peace; for the safety; for the opportunity to sit still and think.

Merry Christmas.