Pax Vobiscum

Peace be with you. It is that time, that season,
when we turn to the better angels of our reason
and wish well on friend and stranger alike, love
becomes more than lace and lube and lies, above
all else we seek to feel the sense of family
with even those we barely know and rarely see.

I wish you all the best of times at this time.
Where there is war, let there be peace, crime
give way to forgiveness and reconciliation, pain
fade and the troubles of the past fade to stain
and then to nothingness. I wish you poetry, art
and the magic of self-awareness on your part.

Do not be alone, even if you are, gather everyone
you love and have community with and shun
the crushing solitude of those who cannot hope
for more than an empty belly and a way to cope
with the despair we wear like brittle crowns
too often, soften your will and force back your frowns.

This is a time of triumph, when even God kept word
and offered up a sacrifice for our reconciliation, absurd
it may seem, a dream of a whim. But in the lights and trees
we celebrate more than one faith, more than what frees
us from our daily toil. We celebrate hope and rebirth.
And peace. Peace and joy to all who live here, with us, on Earth.


William F. DeVault. all rights reserved.