Our Heart's Desire

What happened to those days of yore

shopping in the village stores

midnight mass with church bells chiming

then off to bed, our folks reminding

“Say your prayers, sleep tight.

  Santa comes tonight!!”

It doesn’t seem so long ago

through children’s eyes, we watched the glow

of trees with colored lights

and candles in the night.

And filled with bright anticipation

couldn’t wait for school vacation,

Decembers cold and white

and our whole world seemed right

            …in those Christmas days of long ago

Many years have passed since then

and so few from the past remain;

the trials of life have changed our views

such anger in the evening news.

And each one bears a certain weight

the loss, the illness culminate,

 caught up in the pain

 so little left to gain

            …what happened to the joy of long ago?

Ahead the future lies uncertain

it hides behind an opaque curtain—

only we decide

to stay or run and hide…

Oh! That we might feel the wonder

find the Peace, and shun the thunder

and that we might stake our claim

to the love that still remains…

 Perhaps then we will find the door

that leads back to those days of yore            

            to find the joy to light our way once more.

© Ginny Brannan 2019

The title comes from Dorothy Gale, who said  "...If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard." We can't change the world, but we can change how we view the world, we have that power inside of us. May you feel the light and know the wonder of Christmas.

Photo Credit to: BalancingHome.com

After the Storm

Oh, that I could paint a picture

 of the images I see—

evergreens wrapped in ermine coats,

their branches dusted pristine white

clothed with fresh snow overnight.

The lingering storm clouds dissipate

  revealing firmament, so blue;

the bright sun shines through winter pines

now spread before us for review

and in this grace we are renewed!

© Ginny Brannan 2019

Image taken by Charlie Parant: Kirby, VT. Used with expressed written permission from photographer. Find this and more at Appetite for Photos blogspot or at Appetite for Photos on FB.

Winter Crossing

In the shadows past the headlights,

he crossed the lane with cautious grace.

I stopped the car for, as we know,

where one is seen another goes

—yet only one would pass this night.

I had such perfect line of sight:

he paused midway across the road,

then turned so I could see his face.

He wore a crown upon his head,

I counted four points, perhaps six.

He moved with purpose to his right,

and so I turned to watch him go.

He disappeared into the copse.

The only sign he left behind?

 His darkened hoof-prints in the snow.

© Ginny Brannan 2019

True story, driving home from work early Sunday evening 12/8/19. What a beautiful creature he was, too!!

Image Credit NatureExposure.com Bucks in Winter “Winter Eyes” by Timothy Flannigan