amidst

Amidst the sorrow

Slung across the backs

Of heroes unsung,

Everyday peasants

Who shoulder

The brunt;

Amidst the pangs

Of bountiful dreams

Of children

Who hunger

Who hope;

Amidst the toil and trade

Of human life,

The precious,

The tender,

The innocent;

Amidst the fury

Among the frail,

The billion we love

And the billion more;

Together

We sing, we weep

Songs of lament and

Screams of silence

For these few moments

And only a few moments more

Between the grave and the tomb,

The flicker and the fire.

For within the travail,

Masked in sacred mystery

Within the wailing womb

Of hope

Of history…

Christmas kicks.

sjb 

12-14-11
Photo: Ray Tollison