Star of Wonder/Tumbledown #poetry #earthweal

Star of Wonder:
light in the children’s eyes
around the tree
abound our hopes and memories. 

I dream of childhood
without dread or fear
long-gone December days
haunting my always.

Away in a Manger
we hear that once a baby slept
embraced in love
into our lives He crept.

We were not ready
for His message, then
no more than now:
Oh Come, Emanuel 
and save us, anyhow.

The earth is burning
the windtorn trees are down
Earth spirits, turning 
look on our wanton work of death, and mourn.

So, come, Lord Jesus
and show us how to face our fate, ordained
even as we’re washed out on the tide
to love without restraint.

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A song of Advent for earthweal

This week, Brendan has asked us to ‘write poems of Advent,’ noting that:

‘The word advent comes from the Latin adventus or “arrival,” from ad “to” and venire “to come.” The Christmas hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” expresses the sentiment with aching ancient longing.’

This poem represents the darker side of my visit to Wordsworth’s Grasmere. So many old-growth trees downed in recent storms, including a cedar planted by the Poet himself more than 150 years ago. In nearby Ambleside, only two weeks ago, storm Arwen claimed the life of a man who was hit by a falling tree.

As for the poem’s message, it seems that in the face of global inaction, all we can do is continue to love, to pray, and of course, to sing our earthsongs: