Halcyon

Oh! I miss the days
Of times gone past

Where we pursued
Patterns that last:

When a matriarch
Ruled the kitchen –

And all gathered
For gaiety’s fixin’s.

When crackling hearth
Provided warm spirits,

And jokes lifted hearts
As joined to hear them

While children played
And screamed chatter –

Then, toasts were raised
As silverware clattered.

When we ate too much:
Eyes groaning at pies

With indulgence –
No compromise!

And the crisp frost spoke
Cold still yet to come, but

Our hearts felt nourished
From love’s butter rum.

(November 26, 2020 – Athena Stairs)