This is the most precious time of year (Long)

[MA-Caver]

This I got off another discussion board. Am not sure of the author (yet) the poster has been queried and when they respond I'll add on here.
I liked it and thus wanted to share it.
Merry Christmas all.

This is the most precious time of year
When nights get long, dark, deep and clear;
Spirits soar; hearts open wide
When in the North, the Sun does hide
We see the frozen countryside
It seems like natural beauty has died.

The flowers once blossomed now gone to their grave;
With winter’s arrival we all must be brave,
For in Winter so cold, so dark and so deep,
Memories of flowers are so hard to keep.

But cycles are endless they keep spinning around;
The Sun will return to warm up the ground
And the beautiful blossoms now gone from our view
Will return from their graves to be reborn anew.

So at this most precious time of year,
For flowers passed on, shed not a tear;
Feel not sorrow for what is now gone
And remember that time must always move on.

Now, as the Sun sets early each day,
We may fear that it has gone away,
But cycles are endless, we keep spinning around;
The Sun will return to warm up the ground.

At this time of year, we look back on our past
To remember a time when the Earth seemed so vast;
A time when the skies were reserved for the birds,
The dreams of a few and the flight of their words;

A time when a star shined so brightly to some
Who journeyed afar; to his birth they did come
Bearing gifts of spirit for the birth of a child;
An innocent babe midst times, oh so wild.

We remember that time when he walked here on Earth;
His remnants now tied to a dying old church
That invests its riches rather than helping the poor;
That holds onto a structure so sick at the core;
That teaches intolerance; that closes its door
While politicians and generals plan the next war.

This Holiday Season is more precious that some;
The events of our time have made us quite numb;
We can see the hypocrisy each day on the news
Regardless of differing political views.

But we shed not a tear for the death of a child;
A casualty of these times so wild
Where children of Palestine and Israel
Suffer while leaders are asleep at the wheel;
What meaning in Afghanistan
Has “Peace on Earth; Good Will to Man”?
Do innocent families bombed in Iraq
Deserve the brunt of our lethal attack?
We send our soldiers and our missiles of hate;
Can we change this trend before it’s too late?

In freedom’s name we mount a global attack,
But to the needy at home we just turn our back;
We live in the richest nation on earth,
But don’t stop to think or to see what it’s worth.
We’ve taken the magic of Solstice and turned it around
’Til the ring of a cash sale is the most holy sound
But there is a flame of awareness now alive in the land
That sparks freedom of thought, even where banned.

And banned it is, for it’s disruptive to those
Who play on our fears while their profit grows.
Stupidity and hate and shortsighted greed
Rule some who now rule, but it’s not what we need.
We don’t need profits from oil to pay for our wars;
We don’t need to lock freedom behind closed doors;
We don’t need to hide from the truth any more
That we’ve become our very own prisoners of war;
But a war on terror will never be won
By terrorizing others at the point of a gun

Technology’s changed things at once and for all!
The Earth has grown tiny—a planet so small
That the death of a soldier in Kabul or Baghdad
Is felt like the death of our own dear comrade.

What happens in Afghanistan
Affects the folks in every land;
Israel and Palestine with their fears
Wash the planet in painful tears.

Repression in China sends out a wave
That does a part of each enslave;
Oil spilled on foreign shore
Sends the message home once more.

Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jew,
Pagan, Mormon or Hindu;
We are all part of a greater whole;
We are each part of the human soul.

Technology’s singing a sad requiem
For those who still think there’s an “us” and a “them.”
The media have shrunk this planet so small
That there’s no room for misplaced emotions at all.

The apparent distinction between us and them
Resides only in what we must condemn;
We condemn what we fear and we turn it to hate
And in this ignorant act we seal our own fate.

Dams cannot hold back the anger and fear;
We must deal with our feelings, so let me be clear:
We can each help right now in our own little way
By making the right little choices today.

As we eliminate wars amongst family and friend,
Peace will spread and conflicts will end.
Global change takes place in the heart
With each of us playing our own little part.

So at this precious time of year,
Let us not succumb to fear;
Let us not feel terrified,
Insecure or stuck inside;
Let’s make a commitment to make a new peace,
And on this longest night release
Our fears that were stirred for political cause,
And on this longest night take pause
From neurotic wars of religious control
As we reclaim the joy of body and soul.

This time of year, these days of rest,
When Persian Magi journeyed west,
We each share in love; we bask in love’s glow;
We have one another; that’s all that I know.

And I know that this truth handed down from the past
Is most urgent now and I hold to it fast;
It’s a truth handed down from days of old,
A truth worth its very own weight in pure gold.

Just look into your heart and to stars up above;
Remember that ancient truth we call “love.”
And as another year slides into the past
Remember that even these times won’t last.

Now lest you think I’ve given up,
I’ll ask you please to lift your cup
Filled with kindness, love, the power of light
And truth that turns the darkness bright.
On this shortest day, on this deepest night,
We toast all who’ve done it right!
Who’ve stood their ground while facing fear!
Who’ve stood for truth and stood sincere!
We look back through the lens of time;
We tell our tales, I write my rhyme;
We hold our candles to the dark;
The light of love creates a spark
That sets the atmosphere aflame
With truth that puts the world to shame.

So, here’s my toast:
To lasting peace that starts inside;
To every teacher who has been a good guide;
To every child born in every nation;
To every human congregation
That aspires toward peace and love;
To the glory of the stars above;
To the lasting magic of this time of year
And to everyone, both far and near!
And to darkness that heralds the coming light
Soulful Solstice to all and to all a good night.

 

[Darksoul]

-Thankyou MACaver! That was quite enjoyable. I personally plan on making 2005 a year of renewal, so yeah...now is precious.


A---)

 

[Ender]

"So, here’s my toast:
To lasting peace that starts inside;
To every teacher who has been a good guide;
To every child born in every nation;
To every human congregation
That aspires toward peace and love;
To the glory of the stars above;
To the lasting magic of this time of year
And to everyone, both far and near!
And to darkness that heralds the coming light
Soulful Solstice to all and to all a good night. "

very good...and I would add :

to all the parents, wherein lies the future, where it all starts.