Every Christmas morning
I wake up
Alone
I have for years
Just me and my dog
My family comes later
From miles away
And I pick them up Christmas Day
But there’s something strange about the way
Being alone on this morning
Is so absolutely peaceful
I sit outside hear kids laugh with their
New toys and new lease on life
See the couple nestled gently
On the couch
Sipping tea and admiring their tree
And I admire it too
Each sip of coffee the world is no longer
So deafening
The sounds have changed
If just for one day that’s okay
Because it’s quiet now
Rare and ineffable
Every sense is grateful

~kb