The Shape of Things to Come Revisited
The dark, cold stillness of these silent, sometimes lonely December nights
And the commotion and shattered routines of the Solstice holidays
Can numb our hearts and bring forth visions of threat and pain.
Have we become so jaded, deadened, and fearful that we can not recall
Some fragments of the wonder, awe and innocent openness
Of a child overwhelmed by something big, new and grand.
We once celebrated this season as an opportunity in which
We are moved by transcendent great events, to see
In the eyes and voices of unspoiled children a special path or key.
In the dreams and imaginings of little ones the lines are thin and porous
Between what IS and what Might Be. The joy of future pleasure happens now.
An alchemy that draws them forward, to act and learn and strive.
Are there Lessons Learned for grownups? The clerics say there better be.
The responsiveness and jubilation of children shows they somehow see
Events that could be challenges are also opportunities.
Go hug a child. Then go hug one of us wrinkly guys with a child trapped inside.
Be prepared for something really good.
Ron and Louise Crawford
December, 2015
[This is the first and last time I will use a book dust cover as a holiday card. I found this while I was surfing the Web and saw the boy’s reaction to the Zeppelin. He is expressing what the kid in each of us secretly hopes for but then rationalizes actually went down the tubes with Santa Claus. The painting originally appeared in the Thüringer Zeitung in the mid 1930’s. The full cover is left intact as a tribute to de Syon’s treatment of the cultural impact of the airships. The book is available from on-line booksellers ISBN-13: 978-0801886348. And apologies to HG Wells for the non-intuitive title.]
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