For one or two more days the Christmas tree will remain
standing in the corner of our living room, silent witness
to a season of impatient waiting and imperfect planning,
bringer of twinkling light in the dull darkness of winter,
bearer of tiny, exquisite memories strewn among branches,
reminder of the possibility of new life waiting to emerge,
life-size symbol of hope and joy, and the cycle of birth and death.
Even in its absence it will hold a place of significance here
in this space where we laugh and cry and hold one another
tenderly, lovingly. Even in its absence it manifests presence.
