Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Barbara Crooker: "Solstice"



















These are dark times. Rumors of war
rise like smoke in the east. Drought
widens its misery. In the west, glittering towers
collapse in a pillar of ash and dust. Peace,
a small white bird, flies off in the clouds.

And this is the shortest day of the year.
Still, in almost every window,
a single candle burns,
there are tiny white lights
on evergreens and pines,
and the darkness is not complete.



"Solstice" by  Barbara Crooker. Text as posted on Kingdom Poets (12/15/2014). © Barbara Crooker. Reprinted by permission of the poet. 

Art credit: "Christmas," photograph by soulkissfaerie.

Curator's note: Please take my two-minute survey before A Year of Being Here concludes on January 1. It will help me (and any potential publishers) decide upon an anthology of mindfulness poetry.


5 comments :

  1. solstice/the Virgin Mary receives/a new light bulb

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  2. solstice/the Virgin Mary receives/a new light bulb

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  3. Hi Barbara,
    I found your post on Pinterest. This is really a good share.
    Thank you !

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  4. I am very sympathetic to your viewpoint.

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  5. So much in so few lines. Perfectly captures a real darkness along with the hope as we turn toward the light.

    ReplyDelete

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