Advent Haiku(s) 6: St. Nicholas

Today is the feast day of St. Nicholas, and since he has such a big role in standard Christmas celebrations, I thought it would be nice to write about him.

The real Santa Claus
Brings a gift better than toys -
The gospel of Christ

I also came up with a "bonus haiku," but it requires a little historical background. During the Council of Nicea, at one point St. Nicholas lost his temper and punched Arius, who was arguing that Jesus was not really God.

Good St. Nicholas
Comes to bring nice children gifts
And smack heretics

Advent Haiku 5: Zechariah

Speaking of John the Baptist, here's a haiku (almost) about his father Zechariah. For reference, see Luke 1:5-25.

My wife have a son?
Angel, you must be confused.
That's impossi -

Advent Haiku 4: John the Baptist

John the Baptist appears in all four Gospel accounts, which makes me think he is more important than we give him credit for. For the first week of advent, I'm focusing on prophecy, and since John is the last prophet before the Messiah, I wanted to give him a place.

Born of old woman,
Old Covenant's last prophet
Makes way for the New.

Advent Haiku 3: Wonderful Counselor

This is the first of four haikus based on Isaiah 9:6. One of them is going to go up each week.

Word of God made flesh
Our Wonderful Counselor
Truth that walks and speaks

Advent Haiku 2: The First Prophecy

Today's haiku focuses on the first promise of the Messiah, found in Genesis 3:14-15.

First sin, first promise:
Woman's seed, though wounded, will
Squash that serpent flat.

Advent Haiku 1: The First Candle

Today marks the beginning of advent, the season of preparation for Christmas. During this season, I plan to post one haiku a day.

Darkness cloaks the earth
But the promise flickers on
One candle of hope

Lost in Light: A Tribute to My Grandmother

Three years ago today, my grandmother Adele Sunshine passed away. She was an amazing woman. There are many people more qualified than I who could tell you about all she did. I know that she taught special education in inner city schools, had six children with an incredible number of advanced degrees between them, traveled the world, collected jigsaw puzzles and cared for a magnificent 3-story Victorian house until she was well into her 80s. Unfortunately, she moved to Tennessee just as I was becoming old enough to appreciate what an incredible person she was, and I visited her only once every year or two after that point. I love her so much, and I wish I had known her better.

Anyway, I wrote this poem around the time of her death but only now have worked up the courage to share it.

Lost in Light

I watch the embers of your heart

that glistened, glowed all these long years

grow dim.  I see the creeping night

and feel the swelling weight of tears.

I see resplendent fireworks

that flashed against a velvet sky

fade into brittle golden dust,

doomed to disintegrate and die.

I see an end to all I knew of you,

love’s promised heights unreached,

a book slammed shut before the end,

then burned to ash, no more to teach.

Your path winds upward into mist

that veils your destination’s peak,

as from my eyes you quickly fade,

too distant now to see or speak.

My eyes must close to see the truth

that though the path you tread is steep,

you now can soar on borrowed wings

to Him who made the lame to leap.

A star dissolving in the dawn,

you fade away from earthly sight,

but eyes of faith can look beyond,

to see you laughing, lost in light.