I had a dream the other day,
Its vision will not go away,
About some people dressed in gowns,
(I know how strange this story sounds.)

Each gown was separate from the rest,
With different colours they were blest,
And everyone had points of view,
And revelations that were new.

They studied scripture, ancient books,
And gave each other dirty looks,
As back and forth they argued so,
As if to let each other know,

That they were blessed with knowledge, dear,
And their great wisdom would appear,
For they could point the way to God,
But all their knowledge was a fraud.

And then another happened by,
Who was alone and very shy,
And on an altar placed a gown,
And then upon it he laid down.

It was a gown so pure and white,
Yet more than white, for it was bright,
And as he laid there peacefully,
I knew at once that he was free.

And still the others held their glare,
So full of hate and unaware,
That one among them was at peace,
And so their conflict didn’t cease.

Another cried in solemn prayer,
And hoped that God was there somewhere,
As to the Virgin Mary called,
And on his knees he knelt and crawled.

Still on that altar in the room,
There laid a man, as in the womb,
So peaceful and so satisfied,
While those around both cursed and cried.

As quick as that I was awake,
And wondered what of it to make,
Yet as I thought upon the scene,
I knew the meaning of the dream.

The ones in gowns, religious folk,
Both pulled and strained within the yolk,
While trying to find the God above,
They weren’t aware of His great love.

But on that altar silence reigned,
He didn’t fight and wasn’t strained,
For he had met with Jesus there,
While they were lost, he was in prayer.

by David Ronald Bruce Pekrul

This post was originally published on Your Poems, Your Stories at I Had A Dream.

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ย ย ย ย Wintertime on the farm was always looked forward to with great anticipation, because it meant less chores and more time for recreation. When the snow began falling, I felt a certain satisfaction, because it meant endless skiing and horse drawn sleigh rides to all corners of the farm. Our dapple mare, prancing in front of our huge red sleigh, seemed to be enjoying the ride as much as the riders. The horse and sleigh fitted with sleigh bells added to the glorious ride with the jingle, jingle, jingling of the bells.ย In the freezing weather, and the chill that always accompanied our sleigh ride, the thought of hot chocolate and hot apple cider was always looked forward to with gleeful anticipation. Sitting in front of a roaring fire, fed by apple wood logs with their magnificent scent, drinking hot chocolate, and apple cider is an experience that will last a lifetime. Although the outside weather was bone chilling, our home was toasty warm. Sleeping at night under soft, feather filled, comforters always guaranteed a restful sleep, which always accompanied our adventurous sleigh, rides. Winter also brought with it days of celebration such as, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. The wonderful cooking odors in our little farmhouse around the holidays would be hard to describe. How can anyone describe heavenly smells? Roasting turkey, apple, peach, and pear pies. Mashed potatoes, candied yams, peas, corn, string beans, and cranberry sauce. There was always enough food to feed the thirty or more friends and relatives that attended our food fest.

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After such a sumptuous repast, it is time for conversation, because many of our guests had not seen one another since our last holiday. Talk is usually about new births; weddings, divorces, promotions and the gamut runs from A to Z. The saddest part, for me, of any get together is never in meeting; rather, itโ€™s when friends and loved ones have to depart. There is something inside me that is heart wrenching, and I have never been able to decipher what brings on this melancholy feeling whenever family and friends gather and then depart. Out of all the holidays, I likeThanksgiving best, because there is no hype associated with this holiday. No one is trying to sell you anything. None of the guests are expecting any gifts. None of the guests need bother to wonder what gift to bring. Itโ€™s just a good old fashion holiday where you come, enjoy a good meal and be happy.

ย ย ย ย On the other hand, Christmas is strictly a holiday that should be celebrated in a purely religious way. It is the birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We should take all the commercialism out of Christmas. The solemnity and true meaning of this sacred holiday should supercede the expense of gift giving. Presents are nice to receive; however, many families are already burdened with the expense of rearing their own families, and cannot afford the added expense of buying presents for other family members.

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ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย All the retailers have already relegated Christmas to the scrap heap, because they have already taken Christ out of Christmas, because they spell it XMAS. What should this tell us???

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ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย New Year is another day to be celebrated because it brings in a New Year, and hopefully a new beginning of a prosperous year for everyone. This is another holiday that needs restructuring, because many people treat this wonderful day of new beginnings in a ribald manner. Instead of seeing the New Year with bright eyes and bushy tails most view it through black or rose colored glasses, because this cuts down the glare on bloodshot eyes.

Thomas Fenning

Dec-05

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This post was originally published on Your Poems, Your Stories at A city boy’s dream of farm life.