Christmas 2020

by Cheryl Merrick

This year Christmas

is different.

The normal holiday bustle

has slowed to more of an amble.

The social frenzy has fizzled,

and our myopic focus on 

finding "the perfect gift"

has enlarged, 

as realizing how important

our families are to us,

we are filled with a longing 

to just be with them.

Facing a pandemic, death of loved ones,

unemployment, and civil unrest

has made us more

aware of our vulnerabilities

and grateful that 

our Savior came to earth 

to show us how to live

and to give us hope.

Not Alone

 by Cheryl Merrick

Silence hangs over my home

like a crushing weight

pressing in upon me.

Fighting the quiet,

I try to fill it with my words

as I remember all our

pleasant conversations,

but my speech only echos 

off the hard stillness. 

Harbinger

by Cheryl Merrick

Welcoming the day

with a soft peach glow.

Harbinger of hope

and endless possibilities.

The new day's gold lit clouds

invite us to share

the best within us.

Waiting

by Cheryl Merrick

Seeing you huddling

    behind your wall,

I toss over notes of love,

offering you the love 

    you were unable to give to me;

Til, sorrowfully,

I must finally accept

that you are unable to feel my heart;

to either give or receive love.

Making Whole

by Cheryl Merrick

Though I sorrow 
for the prison you are in
and know you did not choose it,
I am powerless to release you.

Only by opening the door
to Him who stands and knocks
can you be freed.

Only He has the power
to make you whole 
and heal your broken
heart and mind.

A New Year Begins

by Cheryl Merrick

Brashly announcing its entrance
 with horns and bells,
the New Year soon settles, 
gratefully, back into familiar routine. 

Fading are the sound of bells.
Dimming are the twinkling lights.
With the gifts given and 
the festive meals eaten,
the jovial bustle of the holiday season
quickly dissolves into 
an amiable quietness.