In Honor of Winter Solstice

my turn to orbit the sun
begins
at time of longest light,
when each early sunrise
is met
by raucous bands of busy birds;
flowers, grass, and even dew
shout their refrain with
color! fragrance!
the candid star diffusing energy
leisurely, generously

and yet,
something about the
shortened southern journey --
the pigment erased
from the landscape,
the only sound
a lonely wind,
all my chicks gathered round --
stirs in me a
deep contentment
a fathomless peace