Christmas Spirit Poem by Rose Marie Juan-austin

When I woke up this morning
I saw snowflakes
Falling over trees
Some seemed like ferns
Others fell like diamond dusts
The purest of the pure
The whitest white.

The crisp white snow
Blanketed the ground
And embedded itself
To where it fell
So pristine
Like a wonderland.

The scenery before my eyes
Took me to the realm
Of my childhood days
It reminded me
Of that little girl
Way back home
In my motherland
Where snowflakes
Never land.

I went outside
Wearing three layers of clothes
My body was still chilled
Yet, my heart felt warm
And I let my mind
Pondered Christmas.

Suddenly an incident
Long time ago
Just crossed my mind
My late father was holding
A driftwood
For our family'sChristmas tree.

The little girl cleaned the driftwood
Took away the scruffy branches
While her mother
Made the ornaments.
The little brother
Got some tide powder
Diluted with water
And made suds all over.

Brother and sister
Played with the suds
Throwing them
Into the air
The wind carried
And scattered them
Just to be dropped
In accord with the rhythm of nature
Like snowflakes
Falling on the ground.

The rest of the suds
They put them on the branches
And trunk of the driftwood
And they let them dry
On their own
They made a white Christmas tree
Out from scratch
The suds resembled crumpled snow
Attached to the driftwood
At the tip of the branches
Small star lanterns were hung.

Too many memories
Of yerterday'sChristmases
Like snow piled up
They lingered in my mind
Pinched my heart
And brought me back
To my homeland.

Yet, even away from home
I still fondly carry
Those deep rooted
Christmas traditions
That bring out family's treasures
And make my family circle
Closer to heart.

Christmas spirit binds us
It closes the gap
Among us
Even just for the meantime
And our hearts
Beat as one
As we celebrate
The birth of Jesus Christ.


Copyright 2017, Rose Marie Juan-Austin, All Rights Reserved