TORCH FOR CHRISTMAS

TORCH FOR CHRISTMAS

I carry a torch for Christmas,
The splendor of the Christ child,
The wisemen and the shepherds,
Joseph and the virgin mild.

I carry a torch for Christmas,
For what the day conveys,
A holy day of mystery,
More than ancient history,
The joy that comes unfiltered
In the hymns the organ plays,
A warmth and light that brightens the darkest winter days. 
The sweet sound that resounds in the carols children sing,
I carry a torch for Christmas,
Its angels on the wing.

I carry a torch for Christmas,
The lighted houses on display,
The bustling streets, the rushing feet,
Of shoppers on their way,
The reindeer on the rooftops,
The sacred and profane.
I carry a torch for Christmas,
That my heart cannot contain.
The joy it rushes brimming forth
The antidote to pain,
I carry a torch for Christmas and its light fills every street
And fills the care worn visages of the strangers that I meet.

The parties and the antics,
The friendships and the gifts.
Traditions passed and then renewed,
As the sands of life they slide and shift,
Through each precious passing year.
The cookies and the Christmas feast,
The inner calm and cheer.

I carry a torch for mindfulness of all that God has given.
The mansion he has built for us, the splendor of his heaven.
I carry alone my Christmas torch and sometimes I feel small,
Surrounded by the glorious wonder of it all.
Until the Christmas bells they ring, all over the land,
Through the cities and the countries,
Through the snow and desert sand.
And I say a prayer for soldiers and those too sick to celebrate,
I say a prayer for the dying, for whom Christmas comes too late.

I carry a torch for Christmas, a love for this festive season,
My love it goes not unrequited, my love it has its reasons.
To be alive a miracle, and joy from near to far.
I carry a torch for Christmas, the legend of the star.
The wisemen and the shepherds who followed its deep shine,
To where there lay an infant, so tiny and so fine,
A child who'd calm the raging seas, turn water into wine.

I carry a torch for Christmas and all of humankind,
That just one day we'll all join hands and all be of one mind.
I carry a torch for Christmas, that man may feel his worth,
And know the thrill that courses
Through a day of peace on earth.

-Bruce Potts
Copyright 2013
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED