A Christmas poem by Stephen Leake

Presence

Across the dark, a robin learns the Winter.
A candle dissolves; frank and sensuous
Against the extending light.
The streets remain illegible with snow.

I travel through you; uncurling
Where weather decorates the night
And naves of Christmas pines
Grasp human shadows.

Alone I go, echoing carols
In powdered places. Echoes that are glorified.
Prolonged.

Until I find you on the bench
Pressed with our pasts.
A child again. Tricked and traced by
Memory’s gift. Lasting. Imprinted.

A proof of the year’s new world.







This Christmas poem 'Presence' has been scored for orchestra and choir by Jon William Jones and was premiered at Gettysburg College, Dec. 2008.
It will also appear in the Times Literary Supplement this month.