We watched on as the December sun sank behind the trees

Lowering its warm body into the ground.

Showing us its fearless transformation, its graceful descent.

Down, down, down 

A sea of orange filled the sky behind the stand of pines.

Fading to a purple wave that swallowed up all the colors,

Commanding our rest.

And so down down down we lay,

shuffling our feet in woolen socks. 

And began to sing side by side under our window of stars

The song that mama taught us not so long ago

while shucking beans on Granny’s porch.

“For many a bird did wake and fly” we softly sang out in a three-part chorus

“Curoo Curoo Curoo….”

Waving our arms by our sides, mimicking the birds we watched by day.

Mom said our songs would remind the sun to come back up in the morning.

Fill our skies once more with its warmth of many colors

as it climbed up, up, up and all around us.

So we could gather our sticks and explore the movement of our bodies in space.

So we could breathe and laugh and explore this land we live on as gently as the sun.

And for this we were grateful and did rise in the morning.

Lifting our toes and then our legs and whole bodies 

Up, up, up once more to gather the oats and sing

a blessing to the birds and sky and our breathing selves 

altogether in this December day once more.