Old Photos

I sit here in this winter afternoon

with time laid down in multiple exposures,

coming round to end of year,

softly tugged by nineteen-year-old photos

With carols on the stereo to knit the years together

and drafts around the windows to remind me of the weather

and nothing, really, that I need to do in here and now

except my heart’s deep preparation for eternity

Those friends, who were such sweetness in our lives back then

are gone from us, except in memory,

those little faces, and the strength of love they pulled in us —

they are still dearly loved, though not the same

And we approach a Christmas where we won’t see them

and we’ll put no decorations in the house

as we look for something often sought but found seldom

to fortify ourselves for time to come —

the perfect peace to bring this world safely through its changes,

to play our part in witnessing the birth of truth.

©Wendy Mulhern

December 15, 2016