Robert M. Simmons
from Tracings (Poems 1964-1992)
The Moment of Christmas
The last sparks of light from the flame of day
have transformed themselves from orange to gray.
Blackboards are now blank and lessons have ceased;
happy school children have all been released.
Machines are quiet and furnaces cold;
the assembly lines have been placed on hold.
Doors have been locked; window shades have been drawn;
business has stopped, and the workers have gone.
Cherished hymns have been sung, and sermons said;
services over, the people have fled.
The bustling crowds that filled festive streets
have now dispersed to separate retreats.
Airports and depots have sent the last round
of holiday travelers homeward bound.
The last weary shoppers have left the malls
deserted and darkened behind their walls.
The last Christmas gifts are now under trees
waiting for those they were purchased to please.
The last carolers have taken their leave
and will not return till next Christmas Eve.
Turnpikes and highways, once ribbons of light,
are now dim places on this special night.
Candles in windows recall with their glow
a beacon that beckoned long, long ago.
All strife in the universe seems to pause
as nearer the notable moment draws.
The brightest of stars shines over the land;
the magic moment is almost at hand.
The last of twelve strikes from bells far and near
tells us the moment of Christmas is here!
© 2008 by Robert M. Simmons
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Subjects: Christmas, Christmas eve, Christmas poems, poetry, poems
The Moment of Christmas