whatever happened to the quiet time
of advent before Christmas day or eve
is certainly remarkable
no other time of our year
has managed to become so noisy,
commercialized, stuffed full of special sales
with permahyped unique occasions
that only last for a few hours
Black Friday has become national hysteria day
people camping out overnight before the supermarkets
to be the first
waving on television
diving into the pool of wonderful things on sale
victoriously placing them under their Xmas trees
the stress this timely acquisition
requires from the donors
just adds another extra to the planning of their days
no time is left for quiet contemplation
and so
what used to be the day to celebrate the birth
of our Christian savior
has turned into a goods exchange
where size and value of bright packages
are meant to substitute
affections muted by the daily chores
maybe a more spiritual mood
might take us back to the original wonder
a legendary birth in that old world of yonder