By Ward Shope
The turkey is devoured, Thanksgiving is over.
The tidbits of dinner are now inside Rover.
The desserts linger on for midnight snackers,
nudging scales up for many weight trackers.
To what shall we turn from our contented sighs,
From our clever conversation and our family goodbyes?
Are Black Friday shopping and cyber-Monday sales
enough to satisfy what inside of us ails?
No! say I, and may I bring to your attention
the coming of Jesus, who without pretention,
appeared among us in human form
to bring relief and joy to souls well-worn
from the effects of sin and a broken creation.
He gives true life without cessation.
Let us turn from our gluttonous (and delicious) feast
to celebrate the meaning of our Advent wreaths:
The light which came and is still coming
seeks to shine in our hearts, and keep us from running
to destruction and death; to give us life
and peace and unity, to ward off strife.
If, in your quiet moments, you sit to consider
the Savior’s birth, as he came hither
to bring you close by bonds of love
so gloriously gracious, never to be thought of
by those who could not and cannot believe
the freedom of negated shame and sin reprieved,
Please consider this verse an open invitation
to fire up your inner poetic imagination.
Write a line or two as you contemplate
the season we’re in. And then simply state
the reason for your joy and love and gladness
in the midst of a world mired in sadness.
The poem can be simple, your child can write
some lines like Suess and certainly shine bright
among our blog entries. But your own invention
of blank verse or sonnet, or simpler intention
would be welcomed and shared and treated seriously
even if the words are meant to come out deliriously.
Submit your verse under absolutely no pressure
To “ward dot shope at newlifedresher”
Share a thought, a phrase, something short or long.
Leave the tidbits to Rover, in this blog you belong!