At Janus’ gateway,

we find ourselves once again:

but what shall we leave behind?

~

Year after year we

resolve to leave things behind 

then  just snatch them up again.

As this year slowly

fades, what causes your poet’s

heart to skip a beat?

~

Diversity breeds

an asynchronous rhythm

when we welcome it inside.

Is it a sad truth

that just the presence of pain

provides us with fresh perspective?

~

Sometimes pain can be

a crowbar that loosens the

old and makes way for the new.

Are we completely

daft to hope that before long

snow will fall and fires warm?

~ 

When hearthfires burn

and winter snows return, 

we will daftly hope for spring.

Sales and Santa sail

off to hidden storage bins;

how to keep that joy within?

~

Ah, and therein lies

the rub for we have to learn

to catch joy on the fly.

It’s the day AFTER

Christmas. Why haven’t the kids

gotten that sleep memo yet?

~

Alas, Boxing Day,

at least within this household,

is no day of servants’ rest.

After record warmth,

perhaps we should consider

spending Christmas down under?

~

I thought the whole point

of Christmas was to help us 

avoid going down under.

It’s the night before

Christmas. Why haven’t the kids

gotten the memo on sleep?

~

You are so old school!

If you want those kids to sleep,

You must email, text, or tweet.

How can one protect

beloved family members

from so poorly misplaced trust?

~

We do our best through

love, vigilance, and prayer,

taking action when we must.

Ok, so there’s no

snow. Are we going to just

be left with those plain red cups?

~

Why go to and fro

over the absence of snow?

Candles set red cups aglow!

Today’s a Monday.

How can we make it stand out;

unlike every other day?

~

I know you can’t be

serious. Just ask any

single Mondayphobe.

If this is the most

wonderful time of year, what

does it say about the rest?

~

When superlatives

are used gratuitously

they lose all meaning.

Will our spirits rise;

lifted like all other boats

by the approaching Yuletide?

~

If our spirits are

to rise, we must learn to ride

the Yule’s irregular tide.

With only seven

days to go, how will we find

great, amazing gifts in time?

~

Most amazing gifts

seem to find there way to us

when we give up seeking them.

With this constant noise,

how can we find peace enough

to regain our poise?

~

When there’s noise without,

we can move within, follow

our breath, circumvent the din.

What ever happened

to heralded holiday

cheer this harried year?

~ 

I fear it’s been lost

behind emails and toupees

and rattlings of sabers.

When you rarely see

the light of day at your home,

can it be your guiding light?

~

Home fires beckon

and light the way even when

 night replaces day.

What would you say if

Jolly Old Saint Nick 

took the batmobile this year?

~

“Holy Ghost, Batman!

It Looks like your ride’s been swiped

by a bloated elf in red!”

When a timely passage

takes one from this mortal realm,

is there cause to celebrate?

~

When a life has been

well lived and the time ripe, there

may be cause to celebrate.

If someone hopes for

 a small  sprinkling of snow on

Christmas Eve are they reindeer?

~

Like snow and reindeer,

and men in jolly red suits,

all just holiday fodder.

Must our fleeting joy

Come only from successes

Or can we enjoy failures?

~

In retrospect we

might enjoy some failures like

 not winning that scum ball’s heart.

Is it sheer folly

to look for some remnant of

jolly while grocery shopping?

~

But Jolly abounds

Up and down the aisles there.

Jolly Ranchers, Jolly Time,…

Why must we wallow

in all this borrowed sorrow

for events of tomorrow?

~

We’ve mistakenly 

applied the scouts’ motto and

tried to be prepared.

As we watch them go,

arms outstretched and hearts breaking,

where do we turn for solace?

~

For solace we turn

to memory and  happy

thoughts of their return.

If you were going

to take a guess, why do you

think we get so stressed?

~

We all feel the press,

keep them safe but let them go

knowing we have no control.

In this stressful time,

which pounds harder, anxious heart,

or nervous, disquiet mind?

~

One starts, the other

pounds harder in a  frenzy 

of fear-based disharmony.

What remarkable

human being’s birthday is

just four days away?

~

David Carradine?

Or Diego Rivera?

Or Jim Morrison?

When the flakes begin

to fly about recklessly,

where will we find safe harbor?

~

Flakes have been flying

high on tv news. To be

safe, grab the remote.

Now that December

is here, do you have any

words of lasting cheer?

~

This is the season,

to be filled with lasting cheer;

its more fun than lasting fear.