CHRISTMAS POEMS is a collection of 24 sonnets celebrating the Christmas season. These poems were chosen because of the special messages they convey about the Christmas season, and what it means to us. Celebration is a major theme in this book. These poems encourage us to be thankful for what we have, and to be watchful for the joyfully unexpected events that occur in life. They also encourage us to appreciate the many blessings that come forth in unexpected ways.

CHRISTMAS POEMS

By Frances Sydnor Tehie

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Frances Sydnor Tehie
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-2347-8

Contents

Ring Out, Great Bells.......................................1A Star Appears..............................................3Newborn.....................................................5Birthday....................................................7Advent Interlude............................................9The Layette.................................................11When Holly Blows............................................13At Christmas................................................15The Christmas Present.......................................17Dress Rehearsal At Little Flower School.....................19A Plea At Christmas.........................................21The Christmas Winds.........................................23The Celebration Of Lights...................................25Trees On Christmas Night....................................27Gifts.......................................................29Reflections After Christmas.................................31Reverie.....................................................33The Christmas Party.........................................35Silence Counts Alone........................................37Of Christmas Past...........................................39In Anticipation.............................................41The Greening................................................43The First Advent Candle.....................................45A Poem For Christmas........................................47

Chapter One

    RING OUT, GREAT BELLS

    Ring out, great bells around the world,
    Ring out this Christmas day
    To mark the birth all safe and sound
    Of One who came to stay;

    One known to men of old, to us,
    And surely those to come.
    He who once in the manger lay
    Now makes the heart His home.

    And so, great bells, ring out, ring out!
    And as each note's unfurled,
    Let us rejoice again to hear
    The news borne round the world.


    A STAR APPEARS

    A star appears.
    Its dazzling light
    Sets skies ablaze
    On Christmas night.

    A song is sung
    Of joy and peace,
    And all the listeners
    Find release.

    A child is born.
    And this is He,
    With Mary, Joseph.
    Come and see.


    NEWBORN

    Winds blow gently
    Where He lies;
    Sing Him only
    Lullabies.

    Star shining bright
    Above this place,
    Never wake
    His dreaming face.

    All who come
    To the stable door,
    Be still: He has
    Not been here before.


    BIRTHDAY

    We try to think of you
    As once you were—
    Cradled by Mary,
    Held close to her,
    Seeming so small for gold
    And frankincense and myrrh.

    Dreaming, you must have seen
    The great star near,
    Sensed the rush of wings,
    The singing clear,
    While in the fields shepherd
    And lamb knelt down in fear.

    You, fragile, small, dreaming
    In Bethlehem,
    Would wake up the world
    With your I Am:
    Maker of star and wing
    And song, shepherd and lamb.


    ADVENT INTERLUDE

    When lights upon the tree are glowing,
    Night winds outside have ceased their blowing,
    And in the silence it is snowing,
    Recall awhile with wonder growing
    The two toward Bethlehem once going,
    Then Mary in the stall bestowing
    The Gift mysterious past knowing,
    The Light down all the ages flowing.


    THE LAYETTE

    She chose white flannel for a gown,
    As soft as her kiss or eiderdown,
    And then she measured once again
    For a blanket to receive Him in.

    The message Gabriel brought rang true,
    So she embroidered them in blue—
    As blue as a bluebird's wing that flies
    Or the color of a newborn's eyes.

    The donkey never felt at all
    The added weight of things so small;
    But Mary dreamed of Him arrayed
    In the gown and blanket she had made.


    WHEN HOLLY BLOWS

    When holly blows against the windowpane,
    We stop what we are doing—stop and stare—
    Remembering Advent's almost here again
    And thus this green and crimson on the air.
    Leaves etched and shiny, berries shaped just so
    Sweep sideways, brushing up and down the glass.
    As morning sun intensifies the glow,
    Slim branches tremble in the winds that pass.

    Soon we shall light the candles one by one.
    For every candle lit we'll name a name
    Til finally, when Advent season's done,
    Each is commemorated by a flame.
    Today we are reminded as we see
    The flame that burns upon the holly tree.


    AT CHRISTMAS

    The bright star shines again,
    Just when we need it most,
    When all the hearts of men
    Are floundering and lost;

    When night is at its darkest,
    So dark we cannot see,
    Prospects almost the starkest
    Of those in memory.

    But see the star alight
    Above this lowly place,
    Illumining the night,
    The newborn full of grace.


    THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT

    Among the Christmas presents she received,
    She's come to like this present most of all—
    This wreath too beautiful to be believed
    Of lustrous evergreen sure to enthrall
    With its red velvet bow, its fragrant smell
    Of forests deep where spruce and pine trees grow.
    She's hung it where it may be seen as well
    By all the passersby who come and go
    Along her street and glance toward her door.
    A gift, she thinks, not for herself alone,
    But one that, sharing, she enjoys the more
    And will remember when the season's gone.
    To her the wreath's become a symbol of
    An all-encircling, all-embracing love.


    DRESS REHEARSAL AT LITTLE
    FLOWER SCHOOL

    This is the way they have imagined it,
    And so don Wise Men's robes bedecked with gold,
    Rough shepherds' garb, and angels' wings, starlit.
    One lamb has wandered in out of the cold.
    At wide-spaced lecterns, students read to bring
    The ancient story to our ears afresh
    As the great star shines and heavenly voices ring.
    Awestruck, young worshipers approach the crèche.

    There, Mary, in her simple gown of blue,
    With Joseph, in the manger kneels apart
    And cradles the small baby, fragile, new,
    And stores these things to ponder in her heart.
    Though all is still beneath star-dazzled sky,
    We almost hear her sing a lullaby.


    A PLEA AT CHRISTMAS

    Let Christmas come more gradually this year
    So we will have the leisure to prepare
    Surprises for the ones whom we hold dear
    With, in between, some moments left to spare.
    And may we take these quiet times to muse
    On Christmas long ago when shepherds heard
    The angels bring at last the joyful news
    That even now leaves heart and spirit stirred.

    So let us move at this unhurried pace
    And when we finally gather round the tree,
    The day will be endowed with special grace,
    A Christmas to be held in memory.
    For we'll have balanced ribbon, wreath, and pine
    With a compelling sense of the divine.


    THE CHRISTMAS WINDS

    I might have stayed at home, for winds blow cold
    And blow so strong they take your breath away.
    But it is drawing near to Christmas day,
    And we've been summoned like Wise Men of old,
    Who braved the desert winds, steadfast and bold.
    Led by one brilliant star's unwavering ray
    That kept their inmost doubts and fears at bay,
    They brought their gifts of frankincense and gold.

    Today He is the star that leads us on,
    The infant who within the manger lies
    Beneath the warmth of Mary's soft caress.
    To look on Him again with wondering eyes
    We brave the winds, together or alone,
    And bring whatever gifts we may possess.


    THE CELEBRATION OF LIGHTS

    They carry lighted candles down the aisle
    And light the candles of those standing near.
    Each lights, in turn, his neighbor's, as a smile
    Transfigures faces now seen doubly clear,
    Thrown softly in relief by candlelight.
    Enveloped in its nimbus, each can sense
    The power a candle wields against the night,
    As darkness is dissolved in radiance.

    Thus, on a morning when the distant sun
    Stands still and when the year is most forlorn,
    We gather here to celebrate as one
    The desperate season when the child was born.
    Into a night so dark all hope was furled
    He came, a birthday candle for the world.


    TREES ON CHRISTMAS NIGHT

    Our Christmas, long delayed, has come again.
    Inside, we decorate our tree
    With bright colors for all to see.
    Outside, the trees are hung with silver rain.

    For that small one unhoused upon the plain,
    May trees so shine on Christmas night
    That He be warmed with sheer delight.
    Let every tree be beautiful again.


    GIFTS

    Something beautiful to see—
    Redbird in a winter tree,
    Seagull flying high and free,
    One small child as silk as He;

    Something beautiful to hear—
    Song you love to sing all year,
    Seashell for His listening ear:
    Bring whatever you hold dear.

    All things beautiful you know,
    Priceless, magical, aglow,
    Bring to Jesus in the snow
    When He wakes this Christmas night.
    Bring your heart for His delight.


    REFLECTIONS AFTER CHRISTMAS

    I feel a sadness now with Christmas gone,
    The carols silent and the Christmas tree
    Dismantled, taken lately from its place.
    The sadness lingers when I wake at dawn.
    How swiftly things return to normalcy:
    Christmas has disappeared without a trace,
    And life winds down to a pedestrian pace,
    As if that were the way that life should be.
    But we desire a heightened state of mind,
    Ebullient, our hearts uplifted, free,
    By some mysterious inner magnet drawn
    To loftier realms for which we were designed
    And which each Christmas season we will find.
    The star of Bethlehem shines on and on.


    REVERIE

    I'm waiting for the day,
    Prepared in every way:
    Poinsettias in a row,
    The Christmas lights aglow.
    I've written far and near
    To everyone held dear
    And wrapped gifts secretly
    To place beneath the tree.

    Then with an inward smile
    I sit and rest awhile,
    Drift softly into dream.
    Worlds merge without a seam
    And thus this radiant star
    Still visible afar,
    This rush of angels' wings,
    This heavenly choir that sings.
    With Wise Men seen of old,
    With shepherds at the fold,
    I kneel before the crèche,
    Behold the Word made flesh.


    THE CHRISTMAS PARTY

    The dinner is served; evergreen
    Decorates long tables between
    The places. The lights are turned low;
    In candlelight warm faces glow,
    Smiling and giving forth the same
    Soft radiance as candle flame.


    SILENCE COUNTS ALONE

    It's not the words that count
    At Christmastime,
    Not even holy words
    Or words that rhyme.

    It's not the carols sung
    By any choir,
    Though they may help assuage
    The heart's desire.

    But silence counts alone
    As, struck with awe,
    We think what Wise Men
    And shepherds once saw.


    OF CHRISTMAS PAST

    With almost nothing then to spend on gifts,
    Still we were undeterred when Christmas came,
    Already having learned how giving lifts
    The spirit. We would write down every name
    Upon a list or make one in our head
    And figure the amount that we could spend
    In order not to come out in the red
    When we had bought a present for each friend.

    These would be inexpensive, to be sure—
    Hand lotion, book, a little vial of scent
    White tissue-wrapped, red ribbon tied secure
    In preparation for the grand event.
    How blessed we were to have an early start
    In giving Christmas presents from the heart.


    IN ANTICIPATION

    She's taken her place beneath the Christmas tree,
    Our little calico, who wants to be
    Part of this season's bright festivity.
    She will not move for us to stash below
    The Christmas presents wrapped and tied just so,
    But lingers even when the tree lights glow.
    She's clearly to be reckoned with, this small,
    Shy creature, kin of those within the stall
    That on a starlit night would witness all.


    THE GREENING

    The forest suddenly has come inside.
    The firs stand tall where altar candles glow;
    A spray of green with scarlet ribbon tied
    Now hangs on every pew, row after row;
    Pine branches cover windowsills of oak
    And scent the early morning atmosphere.
    The very church that once we thought baroque
    Becomes in retrospect almost austere.
    What a delight at Christmas for the eyes
    And for the mind and heart, the sense of smell!
    This forest is an overnight surprise,
    A birthday present for Immanuel,
    Although more fragile things may not survive,
    Yet love, like evergreen, remains alive.


    THE FIRST ADVENT CANDLE

    With taper poised, the priest still hesitates
    To light the candle. Summoning all his skill,
    He tries to prompt the answer he awaits,
    Then wonders for a moment if he will.
    But one small boy remembers what he learned
    And calls out loud and clear the prophet's name
    Who brought the message for which Isaiah yearned.
    Since then his words have set men's hearts aflame.

    The candle is then lit to symbolize
    Isaiah. Poet and prophet, he foretold
    The Messiah's coming in a different guise—
    As servant, as a shepherd of the fold.
    Now, like his words, Isaiah's flame imparts
    Its radiance to gladden all our hearts.


    A POEM FOR CHRISTMAS

    He comes when trees are bare,
    When every leaf is shorn;
    He comes in frozen air
    The bleakness to adorn.

    He comes His love to share
    With favored or forlorn;
    He comes with love to spare
    For all the weary, worn.

    Let bells ring everywhere
    And let strife be forsworn:
    Love comes beyond compare
    For Jesus Christ is born.

(Continues...)

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