Kindred

Rain falls fast, lamps are lit, coffee’s made
And my day begins with a prayer,
Because I saw the first fully decorated Christmas tree
On a Facebook page this morning.

And like October displays
And November carols
And everything about Black Friday,
I feel not joy for my friend whose home looks lovely
But a lonely space between us.

The season has arrived
And already my heart is left behind;
Without a house full and a cart full
And a month full of frenzy,
I feel separate and apart.

Why the divide?
Am I not like you?
As if my soul isn’t longing for lights,
As if my smile doesn’t come from a gift,
As if my home isn’t found in a pine?

And so my prayer this season:
Let me not remove myself from the world
But add to it a silence and a star,
A fixed and quiet point
For us to meet.