December
First snow! The flakes,
so few, so light,
Remake the world
in solid white.
All bundled up,
We feel as if
We were fat penguins,
Warm and stiff.
The toy-packed shops
Half split their sides,
And Mother brings home
Things she hides.
Old carols peal.
The dusk is dense.
There is a mood
Of sweet suspense.
The shepherds wait,
The kings, the tree,
All wait for something
Yet to be.
Some miracle.
And then it's here,
Wrapped up in hope,
Another year!
so few, so light,
Remake the world
in solid white.
All bundled up,
We feel as if
We were fat penguins,
Warm and stiff.
The toy-packed shops
Half split their sides,
And Mother brings home
Things she hides.
Old carols peal.
The dusk is dense.
There is a mood
Of sweet suspense.
The shepherds wait,
The kings, the tree,
All wait for something
Yet to be.
Some miracle.
And then it's here,
Wrapped up in hope,
Another year!
*a poem by John Updike
