DAY 2 Of #12DaysofChristmas: “Healing Magic” by Abiodun Awodele

On the 2nd day of Christmas, Abiodun Awodele brings you:

Time was not too long ago;
Youth ran free, innocence was me
When life was fun and my heart carefree,
Christmas then, was rice and chicken,
Shoes and clothes, new and shiny –
Happy times, lights a-winking,
Of carols, jingle bells, and children singing,
Fireworks, family, the thrill of village visits,
Red-cloaked Santa, white beards, eyes a-twinkling–
Ho ho ho, rumbling merriment; big-bellied, the spirit of giving.

Change, a companion that subtly reminds
Those times have changed and I have aged.
Yuletide’s allure all but lost on me;
Childhood innocence gone, by cynicism replaced–
Christmas now holds significance for little:
Mere holidays at best, the norm, more hustle,
Time marked in the office, or snarling traffic,
Not by choice, but the pull of responsibility,
Of adulthood, and the burden of bills,
Which slowly but surely robbed grown me,
–Stealing away the magic of St. Nick.

Today is reminiscent of days of old.
Wide-eyed innocence in laughing eyes,
As they meet – some for the first time –
Cheerful and red-cloaked, a gift-bearing Santa
And my memories return, like prodigal brothers.
My hardened heart melts, butter on a hot platter.
The comfort that brings is the hug of a mother.
Hope is rekindled, it springs forth anew,
As I yearn to once more be ensnared again
In the spirit of the season and the healing it brings.

Abiodun Awodele (@maskuraid) 

Contestant #2 Of #12daysofchristmas Poetry Challenge

Goodluck Abiodun! 🙂