Solstice Poetry

There was a solstice gathering at my kids' school on Friday, which included candlelit songs, a big potluck, a glass of wine, and poetry from the kids. Fergus and Norah both read a poem they had written (as did many of the kids), and we all got a little photocopied booklet of poetry and artwork, mostly on themes of winter. Happy solstice, everyone. I'm thinking of all of our friends living North of us--in Maine, Seattle, Ontario and British Columbia, and in Petersburg, Alaska. We're ready for more daylight too.

Note: the last of these poems is not particularly festive, I suppose. But I think it says something remarkable about his journey through life.

Winter Wish, by Norah

I wish Santa Claus came at Noon
I wish Christmas would come soon.
I wish snow was made of cotton balls.
I wish ice was not so hard.
I wish snow was not so slippery when I walked.
I skidded so much I got hurt.
I wish I had a pet yeti, who liked spaghetti.
I wish snow was made of cotton candy.
I wish Ludwig Von Beethoven was the editor of the New York Times, winter edition.
I wish gingerbread houses for the squirrels were made out of pinecones.

Christmas and Candy, by Fergus

I wish for a land,
I wish for candy galore.
I wish for a land I knew you'd adore.
I wish for gumdrop people far and wide,
In a house, from side to side.
I wish trees were candy canes,
I wish they could be broken into tiny panes.
I wish for a land,
I wish for candy galore.
I wish for a land I knew you'd adore.

Rainbow Kaleidoscope, by Fergus

A star ruby is like a snowy night.
A diamond encrusted target is like a snowfort.
A wavespike is like a frozen river.
A splatter is like a used snowball.
A heart of spears is like sticks in the snow.
A shining star is like a treetop.
A pawprint is like a snowvault.
A blue wave is like the northern lights.

I Used to be Hard, by Fergus

I used to be hard, but now I am soft.
I was a twenty-five pound brick,
Who dropped on people's heads.
Now I am a pillow who is slammed on people's heads in sleepovers.
I once was loaded into guns so I could create death in the world,
Now I can create Peace in the world.
I used to be scaffolding to hold up (that was risky for the people I was holding up),
Now I am a pillow factory.