Oh, You Shouldn’t Have

Look ahead to Christmas morning. Think of the unmerited luxury of unwrapping a present offered to you. As the paper comes off, as the tissue is lifted away, the gift is revealed. Most of the time, it is something brand new. Sometimes it is something old, passed on, but at that moment, new to you. In any case, it is special. It is humbling to be given something. It prompts a free-verse poem:

For Me?

What could this be? It is yours to open.
You’ll unwrap it and then you will know.
You can guess by the weight
the shape or the size
the sound it makes when you shake it.
Is it light like clothing:
a top and some pants
a shirt, and sharply creased slacks?
Is it heavy as a book:
biography or novel
history, photography, or, God forbid,
a collection of poems?
Even then, it’s the thought that counts.

The gift is what it is
half is there in the giving
the reality of the thing itself.
The rest is there by how you receive it
by how it is used and enjoyed.
It can hang in the closet or park on a shelf
it can wrap around you and dress you.
Might you cradle in your hands
for eyes and mind to absorb?
What feelings are there
as you wear or consume it
as you read it and give yourself to it?
Removing the wrapping
just begins the unveiling,
the gift comes more
as weeks and months roll.

What could this year be,
wrapped so finely in Advent—
violet, blue and indigo hues?
The tripartite Mystery of Christmas asks us
“What might the year open for you,
and how will you take it?”
A year of discovery, or hunkering down
review or launching anew?
Will it dash like a hare, plod on like a tortoise
take flight or slither or prowl?
Much depends upon you, however it moves.
So, what will you do in it? What?
Is it welcome or merely endured?
If we’re free, as often is said, so much is up to you.
The three-fold season:
Advent-Christmas-Epiphany starts it off.
Have at it—a gift of new seasons.

So take it up, as it is, this First Sunday of Advent.
Examine the gift and give thanks.
Though we know this already, say, “You didn’t have to.
How thoughtful! You shouldn’t have, really.”
The gift of a year is never a given;
it’s not even sure you will complete it.
Sorry, but it’s true. Still, for starters,
take it. With wide eyes unwrap it!
Cherish and use it as you will: it’s for you.
It is yours;
All yours.

                  — DWP+ Nov. 2020