“Just…a Dream?”

“Just…a Dream?”

It was a cold winter’s night—
the creatures scurried round
and round.

The trees joined branches
circling the ‘pine’
standing in the center.

The wind whistled
—it howled.

The tree in the middle around whom
all were gathered
began to sway.

A little girl
wandered through the forest—
she heard the hoot of an
owl, leaves crunched beneath
her every step.

Suddenly, she saw a star—
it burst through the
velvet black sky.

Tiny spectrums of light
fell
attaching themselves to
something up ahead—

The girl ran.
Twigs cracked echoing
in the chill of the valley.
She almost fell over a stump…
with urgency
she traveled in haste

and when she came
to the site,
she barely could
believe what lay
directly in her gaze…

A beautiful pine decked
in star dust—
its light revealing
all the tiny creatures that
nestled around.

The other trees
seemed to give a bow.
When they clicked
their branches,
one song after another
could be heard…

The little girl chimed
in— “Oh, Holy Night,”
“Hark the Herald Angels Sing,”
“What Child is this?” and
finally, “Silent Night”…

The small child curled
herself underneath the tree—
the animals cradled
beside her…

the owl flew down
unfolding its wings like
a blanket
and covered the sleepy child.

When the child woke
after sleeping in heavenly peace,
she threw back her covers—
her boots were unlaced
at the foot of her bed
and she rushed to her window
speckled in frost—

a star hung in the
night sky.

In the distance
beyond her sight,
she noticed a glow.

The child thought she was dreaming,
“Could it have been real?,” she
thought to herself.
She heard a faint ‘hoot’—she was certain
it was the owl.

Then the wind began to roar
and she heard,
“Star of wonder
Star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright…”

The little girl was
singing along
until a forest creature
made its way to her
window pane…

it laid a
pine cone
on the ledge
and scampered off.

The little girl
whispered,
“I Believe!”

She covered herself
in a swaddling
blanket
closing her
eyes
singing,
“Joy to the World.”