For the Solstice
An abecedarian poem
Thanks to
for the tag that inspired this.On the solstice sunset, I got all my kids to come outside and we lit candles while I read Psalm 148. This being the Pacific Northwest, there was no “sunset” to see, but the clouds along the horizon cracked open and the sky glowed yellowy pink just in the nick of time.
As the sun sets, bringing to a close the darkest day of the year, everything shifts, yet for now, feels the same - flat grey sky hides the instant of change just as knowledge of our own lightening is sometimes missed. Nevertheless, the darkest season is over, proof that quiet truth is still true. The tide turns under our feet as venerable winter, with faint xanthic glow, yields her zenith.
Stunningly beautiful, Tavia.
I love the delicate simplicity and the rhythm of the lines. I forgot I was reading an abecedarian , it flows so smoothly!
And I’m definitely feeling the mood of this poem now as the festive season is ending and dumping me into ordinary time that is still dark and cold.
“everything shifts, yet
for now, feels the same”
I feel this so much right now, it feels darker than before the solstice because Christmas is no longer easing over the horizon.
“hides the
instant of change”
Yes, exactly! I’m still sitting in the dark, I know things are changing but I can’t see it.
“knowledge of our own
lightening is sometimes
missed.”
Yup. This is where I am, sitting in the dark wondering what I’m missing.
Thank you for words that accompany the darkness and also give hope, reminding me that the tide truly has shifted!