Christmas Carol Practice

We clicked going for a 9am practice on a Saturday morning 30 minutes away.

We were late, of course and lost

There were no directions posted in the email for the music room

The only one around to ask for directions was a caffeine starved priest seemingly desperate for peace

His directions were perfect, thankfully.

You could here them, 20 girls not quite in tune singing classic/commercial carols for the elderly

I had flashbacks of my choir days in college and wondered why the girl's voices weren't being whipped into shape

Until I realized it's not about perfection, but joy and fellowship

 

Dogwood Tree

My neighbors dogwood tree bloomed the color of purity

As five neighbors stood outside between my house and the tree 

Watching somebody's home across the street burn

All if us in awe, sorrow, and fear

If it happened to their house, it could happen to ours

That vinyl siding house went up in flames like nobody's business

I looked at my cedar house, knowing if it burned, it would be a bonfire for the ages

I put that out of my mind and watched the firemen hook up the water main two steos from my yard

I'm the last of my neighbors to go inside partly in awe of the sight, but mostly in shame

That it was them and not me