A living room

a silent night

serenaded by faint carols

as the arm of a leather chair

holds a mug of steaming cider

and we see a silhouette in grey

a lonely face shrouded in the shadow

of an evergreen

wrapped in flickering technicolor

a tree of splendor just outside the pain

the thunder that remains, echoing

behind a twisted face

remembering the loved one missing

from this house dressed for celebration

still, a smile dawns

at the dingle of a doorbell

despite the storm shouting within

courage strides to the doorway

a shaded figure laughing with welcome

even as a trembling hand is pulling open

the door to the holiday

all the colors of community

finally finding some comfort in family…