(a tan renga sequence)

approaching storm                         PN

we begin our nesting
rituals  

a mouse hole                                KLP
in the decoration box

gusting cold front                          PN
the weather map's
storybook approach

shining through the snowstorm    KLP
Rudolph’s nose blinks on

 
Christmas card glitter              KLP  

the yearly update
from a long ago friend

carolers two by two                     PN
holding each other for warmth

Christmas Eve                              KLP

fresh fallen snow
on the church steps

the youngest lost                          PN

in an avalanche of gifts

visiting relatives                          KLP 

I add a bit more rum
to the Christmas punch

handed down through the years   PN
the initialed flask 

 
Christmas morning                       PN

first voice I hear
a child's

the rustle of paper                        KLP
from under the tree

This poem first appeared in Red Lights (June 2014) in a slightly different version.
Used here with the authors’ permission.