Winter Solstice (Child of the Moon)

All is still in the world of white
the sky is purple and dark
and the moon is out full and heavy
and the snow burns in celestial light

A heating register begins to hum
it’s warm wind wrapping around me like a prayer
I raise my hand and touch the glass
feeling the cold radiate through me
up my arm and into my heart

Below, a stag has wandered into view
noble, white chested, chestnut body 10 points easy
his delicate feet and easy stride
leaving imprints on the once unbroken sea of white lawn

He raises his nose, looks this way and that
and comes even closer to the home where I reside
when all of a sudden from the tree line breaks
a herd of a dozen, maybe more

It’s midnight now, and they’re in full view
and I caught between warmth and the frozen world
with my hand pressed against the cold glass
I wait in a house as silent as a tomb

Then the stag see’s me, eyes locking,
heard standing shoulder to shoulder
and without much fanfare, save the beating heart in my chest
they bow to the boy standing here

I with my teddy bear clutched in my hand
the heat register cloaking my bare narrow shoulders
return the bow with the sincerity of my station
for I am a child of the moon