"winter's kiss..."

the house was cold that morning as the snow fell
wrapping saturday in a mantle of stillness
filled with an unspoken promise, we held 
our breath, and crept beyond the threshold 
tiptoeing through the silence hoping the magic 
of it all would stretch beyond the dawn

armed with books, and cups of steaming tea, 
we crawl back in between pillows and quilts, 
to steep ourselves in poetry and prayer
crossword puzzles and the breathing
of old walls beneath the soft glow of lamplight 
slipping between the folds of vintage fabrics 
my grandmother once stitched for a son's 
first year at college or a niece's wedding night 
before he went to war

i will dream in stanza's as morning  
slips into a sunless day
and all that calls me towards tomorrow 
hibernates beneath a blanket of hushed demands 
and the stunned surprise of a silence unsought 
and as dusk arrives and snow still sifts
through a darkening sky like powdered sugar 
I'll whisper a sigh of gratitude 
serenely sweet 
for winter's kiss of suspended time

"a summoning to grace..."

"come" it calls, "come home to where my
arms are open and my heart is singing just for you
a song that beckons -- fly across the night
and chase the sun to reach me long before the dawn

hear me crying out  full voice, eyes closed
there is nothing I will not do to draw you closer
no indignity I will not suffer

to bring you here before the sun arrives  

we will watch the dawn of a new year
rise from the east in shades of blue more subtle
than the sea beneath a stormy sky or the eyes
of an infant following her mother's smile

come, it calls, come to where we may sift the
stillness through outstretched fingers spread
wide with wonder as the weightless gifts of grace
dance between us and draw us closer still
come, come, come

you are being summoned to the moment 

of your awakening on the crest 

of this new day, come sit with me 

and we will fix our gaze on the horizon 

of your hopes 

 as the daystar rises in your heart