by Andrew Taylor-Troutman

(in memory of Janice)

By the light of the Christmas tree,
remember the handmade cards,
remember that there were three,
because just one was not enough.
By the light of the same tree,
think of your former dog,
as the head of the new puppy
rests in your lap, sighing deeply.

By the light of your love,
pray for the sick, the dying, the dead;
pray for those left weeping
from loss, and also of sweet tenderness
glimpsed in past made present, gifts
by the light of the Christmas tree.

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Andrew Taylor-Troutman is the author of Gently Between the Words: Essays and Poems and pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 

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