I'm grateful to the Christmas tree now standing there before;
The forest was its home before it came through my front door;
It was a green vivacity to whiteness on the ground,
To all the wintering forest life asleep there all around.
And as one after other looks and ponders on the sight,
We see the branches there are dressed the better to invite;
With lights alit, with silver strands and crystal spheres arrayed,
The ornaments of decorative art are so displayed.
A star is set atop, perhaps one taken from the sky,
So many stars still there, this one will not be missed on high;
And this star gets attention from all those who pass this way,
Each one with each one's notion of just what it might portray;
A symbol, metaphor, or other synonym for sign,
Of each one's wish for some bright hope to one and all benign.
Christmas Tree · A Thousand Words