The winter solstice can be tough. As the day with the shortest period of sunlight in the year, it can be a grim reminder of the cold weather and sunless evenings yet to come. It may be no surprise, then, that many of us seek out comfort during the winter, whether it's snuggling up in a pile of blankets, watching a favorite movie, or if you're like poet Jenny Benjamin, eating good food with loved ones.
Winter Poem
Some days there are wishes
Some days there are answers
In the coming dark, when an
Open letter waits on a table worn
From years of family laughter
And meals, the expanse of each
One around and asking what is
For dinner and lifting their eyes
To the long shadows of candles
He tells all about the winter,
To this blessed family:
Snow cradled in thistle
And of the snowflakes dancing
To winter winds over the thatches
Of grass, standing like straight men
In brown suits, hoping to get a chance
Then, of course, he speaks of the
Bread, its wonder of
Freshly ground wheat berry
Solstice Sourdough
Humboldt Fog
Music, always singing,
From the other room,
A voice tip-tapping on keys
And ribboning the kitchen in all
Things infinite and everyday
Like the flowers sitting in the sun’s
Fading light, the wheels of brown
Bread resting on metal racks
It’s home, this awakening and
Dimming of the days, after days,
After days of together
And the baker shares his magic
With another family, so the wheel
Turns on and on, when the light
Fades and completes our hearts.
