‘Darkness and Dawn’: A Christmas Triptych by Susan Jarvis Bryant

Darkness and Dawn

I. Christmas Whispers

A brood of vipers slithers in the sun
With darkest hearts and airs of starkest white.
These snakes of robe and ring and tricky tongue
Bedazzle with a bright, misguiding light.
They swirl a smoky trail—a spicy spell
That leads the lured through labyrinths of lies
Till Eden-seekers skirt the pull of Hell
Propelled by scaly sages of disguise.
As serpents cloak their sins in saintliness
A wink of wonder twinkles overhead.
A miracle unfurls—one set to bless
The blind with sight. The Truth is never dead.
It flickers in the shadows with the might
To summon kings to cattle-sheds at night.

II. Kitchen Carols

She feels the ghost of Christmases gone by
Beside her as she peels and chops and cooks.
She spies the sparkle of a smiling eye
While leafing through the recipes in books
Bequeathed by one who knew the warmth and worth
Of savoring that cozy-kitchen glow—
The hug of citrus, cinnamon, and mirth
As starry skies send sleighs and drifts of snow.
She basks in magic memories as she sifts
And whisks while heavens sigh and angels sing
Of Bethlehem, of wise men and their gifts—
The hymns of joy a newborn boy will bring.
This fatted-goose and figgy-pudding day
The guiding light of Grandma leads the way.

III. Neon Fringes

A spectacle of season’s greetings gleams
On vivid streets ablaze with festive frills—
The rainbow snow and glitzy-Santa thrills
Replete with jingle bells and flashing beams
For those who crave a red-nose-reindeer rush—
That sizzle of electric surging through
A world abuzz with glee at such a blush
Of wonder from a treetop-fairy view.
Yet, moonlit marvels glimmer overhead.
Polaris peeps through clouds of silver lace
Enrapturing the meek who seek the grace
Of One who melts the darkness and the dread—
One who shines beyond the showy glare
On lowly souls: the answer to their prayer.

Susan Jarvis Bryant is a poet originally from the U.K., now living on the Gulf Coast of Texas.