Christmas
Down the sweeping stretch of time it comes
through eons of water, ice and fire.
Scraped earth is sifted, covered with rubble and swamp,
then prairie grasses, bold flowers and towering trees
that stand as majestic and mighty as gods.
Tiny creatures, that crawl in the coming fecund earth,
are replaced by mastodons and other mighty beasts.
All live, die, change and tumble down to MAN.
He is vulnerable and question filled:
lost in a forbidden place of cruel beauty
not knowing why, or when, or where.
The wary and wily ones survive the deadly maze
and survey the mystery of distant night skies.
They watch and record the changes of the moon
and understand the power of the warming sun
that brings light and rebirth to the dormant land.
Stories of creation come to minds and lips
attempt to end the searching of the curious.
A returning sun turns from sun to Son of God
and ideas stream down to us who still search.
And so we have this glorious night
to consider and ponder sun and Son.
The story of a special child with a message
given just as the sun returns.
A story of warmth, light, birth, goodness and love
and the generous heart that gives.
This is our Christmas.
Elizabeth Hearn Milner
Bracebridge, ON
Editor’s Notes: Elizabeth Hearn Milner grew up in Aurora from 1945 to 1965. She is a historian, a lecturer, a writer, and a painter. She has degrees from several universities and has taught for over 30 years. She wrote several books including Aurora 1945-1965, An Ontario Town at a Time of Great Change.
