Love, Hope, Peace and Joy for the Holidays

Wishing you love, hope, peace and joy on Christmas Day.

I offer the poem: AN ODE TO JOY: WHEN GOD LAUGHS

When God laughs, summer breezes stir, cool the skin;

While monarch butterflies twirl displaying majestic wings;

Juniper blossoms fill the air; cicadas chatter, clap and cheer.

Chrysanthemums sway, petals fall;

Hummingbirds flutter scattering pollens’ butter;

Seeds floating in the wind; giggling at nature’s fling.

When God laughs, the Mississippi belches, riverboats lilt;

River Jordan stares as the balm in Gilead now appears.

Warblers sway, sparrows soar; bees make honey soothing souls.

Snow-capped mountains salute the sky, thunders clap, lightning bolts;

Torrents of rain releasing pain; washing away all grime and stain.

When God laughs, basketballers slam-dunk, quarterbacks leap;

Melody of toe-dancing on a searing hot sandy beach.

Chiseled man pumping iron roars aloud like an African lion;

Fearless tumblers in chorus line contorting bodies lithe and pliant.

Seraphims sounding trumpets above,

Panoply of celestial music above your head,

Lullaby for babies sleeping in cribs; swaddled in their parents’ love.

Lovers cuddle arm-in-arm, strolling through the park at night,

Crystal fountain they cast their cares, enchanted by an adoring world.

Metropolis shining in the night, kaleidoscopic network of life;

Bateaus of wood skim the stream; water ripples, gurgles, flows.

When God laughs, Rios Grandes stagger and crawl;

Bamboo rafts flames aglow, unmask dark shadows in mango groves.

Revelers twisting heads and waists entranced by visions, smoke and haze.

Babies coo and puff their cheeks, mothers smile in adoration;

Fathers beam with joyful pride enamored by a novel creation.

When God laughs, birds of prey and fish in water,

Play a game of touch and go; flutter, swim, dive for cover;

Strength or skill or strategy; field made level near land and sea.

The coldest winter yields to spring; moonlit night shines the way;

Red roosters crowing at edge of dawn announce anew the breaking day.

When God laughs, red roses bloom, yellow gladioli shower;

Green ferns and leaves by royal oaks providing full groundcover;

Bougainvillea mounted guards encroach on hibiscus lazing by the river.

Oceans chuckles, rivers burp, fjords sputter geysers to the sky;

Brooks a-idle instigate conspired forces to propagate;

Morning dew with happy tears entwined in perfect harmony;

Mists collide from everywhere, crashing tides again to shore.

When God laughs, it steers the wind, to titillate the air;

Every breath it brings, diamond star illuminates,

Tambourine of energy tickles, a smile, a laugh, a thrill;

Unique life, one renewed; a symphony that’s you.

I sat down on my bedroom floor, an ode of joy to explore.

I stopped to wonder if God truly laughs, to share what’s deep within.

I asked my friends to give their thoughts, to understand the emotion;

Look at life and all its glory, and now I add these words to the story:

Sometimes they say God laughs at us,

Because of conflict, drama, fuss.

Yet, God is awesome to keep us going;

Sense of humor purely divine: constant spring overflowing.

On a sun-drenched street, a child kicks a ball;

Friends skip rope, hula-hoop, hop-scotching near a wall.

Game of chess, cards, dominoes; syncopated drumbeats past twilight.

Gold hairless cat crashes a party, tangos past midnight.

Far deep in a forest glen, fawn waltzes with a mate.

Duck-billed platypus in squared-off tails and patent leather shoes;

Claps its wings, does a jig, and hopes this too its fate.

Blue-footed booby chomps birthday cake teeter-tottering near a lake;

Tinsel twine and sparkling lights adorn a northern fir,

Candles lit in sequence, toys wrapped-up or not at all, counting celebration.

Peace, laughter, music filling hearth and home;

Gingerbread cookies, candy canes perfuming the air;

Big red comfy laced-up chair scattered at a corner;

Pulses frolic, fast extra beats anticipating heart’s desire.

Standing near the fireplace, three women speak of menopause,

Roller-coaster ride bubbling emotion;

One laughs, one cries, one twirls then stands, uncertain what’s at hand.

Infinitely expanding galaxy, brimming with suns, and moons, and stars,

Hoping by next autumn, the swinging tides shall pass.

A maverick that has walked this road beams a youthful smile;

Before you twinkle—one, two, three—

A love, a hope, a peace, a joy: a gift that’s meant to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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