This is my non sectarian Christmas poem. It's intended for anybody who loves Christmas, no matter what their race, religion, nationality, sex, or any other source of divisiveness.

A WOODLAND CHRISTMAS

An icy frieze on drifts of snow
Decorates a dreary day --
Tiny vortexes of wind
Scamper over hills in play.

Sullen, leaden clouds, engorged
With moisture, hover --
Another downy blanket tucks
The woodland under cover.

An eldritch fairyland appears,
With crenellated drifts --
And, slowly, through the cloudbanks,
Some feeble sunlight sifts...

Partridge, quail and rabbit stir
And gambol here and there.
Nature breathes a blessing
On the bracing, wintry air.


Published in THE VILLAGER, December, 1996 and about 30 times since.