by Joni Johnson

Twas the night before Kwanzaa…

Hey wait a darn sec-and tighten your belt

What happened to Santa?

The dreidel and Hannukah gelt?

Buddha is missing,

and this is quite clear-

There’s no mention of holidays

All through the year.

But we need to remember we are

A great nation

Because, not inspite of,

The conglomeration

Of cultures and languages

Vying for space-

Trying to find

their spot in this place.

And we cannot forget

That this holiday cheer

Which fulfills us and beckons

This time of the year

In addition to being a

Great celebration

of Christmas, is also a nod

to the rest of the nation.

That peace and good will is

Important to all

No matter where on the spectrum

You happen to fall.

I was going to write a poem

That was sad-

But then I decided that that

Would be bad.

In spite of the losses of friends

we hold dear

And those dear little creatures

Who are no longer here,

And the looniness overtaking

The world at this time

And the hardness of finding more

Words that will rhyme,

That there’s much to be thankful

If we open our eyes.

So my evaluation of this year

I revise.

It’s time to assess all the good that

We’ve got

The cards we have gotten

attest on the spot

To the good things that happened

to one and to all

in spite of the bad that to each

did befall.

So we need to keep hold

Of this bright winter cheer

And remember to feel it

Through out the next year.

Happy Ramadan, Hannukah,

Christmas and Kwanzaa,

Happy February, March and April

And on…za!

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