Tallies

How can my days seem so long
when my years keep flying by?

Now in August,
I think about Christmas -
how it isn’t that far away.

I yearn for the peace the season brings,
the memories that float around me,
in decorations displayed:
a manger scene gifted a few pieces at a time,
ornaments that represent places visited,
a mantel of snowmen,
angels, lights, hope.

Then I remember.

December is cold, and gray,
and the days will still drag out,
summer heat or winter dark,
the hours weigh the same.

Summer heat will cool,
acorns will ping the roof,
leaves will form a slippery carpet,
and I will curse them both.

Winter will sneak in,
hiding behind a warm afternoon,
then found again
by morning frost.

But Christmas lands with certainty.
I cross it off the ledger.

Another year tallied
come New Year’s Day.




Poetry by Melinda K Zarate The PoetBay support member heart!
Written on 2026-08-14 at 18:54

Tags Time  Seasons  Aging 

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