Christmas is Near

Here it comes, young man
Clouds on every horizon,
A fire burning bright into the long night.
We waged war on our heroes,
Dug graves for our ghosts,
Sneaked love into tents as though
We had forgotten the lessons
Our mother taught us
Over this timid plate of hors-d'œuvre.


Tally the falling giant upon the stones
Where we once built a wall to obfuscate glory,
Dismembered parts levy the starved and hungry,


Equal among us are the stomachs that remember this fate.

~ ~ ~

Are we old enough to harbour the wisdom of age,
See through the soft glaze
Appropriating kindness on a stage?
Can we forgive our sins when all is remembered,
Chipping away at our present state
And ushering in the endgame?


See that smoke rising,
Bristling with static energy,
Coalescing with storms and anger,
Birthing the new frontier.
Frustration mates with the enemy
And gives conception to holiness and penalties.


In this hour,
In this day,
In this year
I hear you say:
Lay your bones down
now
upon this hallowed ground.

• 20th December, 2021; 9:05pm, Paekākāriki / © W.F. Stubbs