It’s not close to Christmas
but I’m longing for how it felt
back when I was a kid
on the night before the big day
the whole neighborhood
and all our dogs
would walk through
the December snow
up the mountain we lived around
up to the windblown summit
and there we’d have a bonfire
there we’d look together
over our little frozen homes
reflecting on another year past
sipping cocoa and whiskey
sometimes singing
into the blizzard breeze
then we’d make our ways
down through the winter night
to someone’s house
for chili and company
for laughs and cookies
for the feeling of being together
as outside everything
was dark and cold
but the dogs are all dead now
and so are maybe half the people
who would venture out
into that weather
for the sake of tradition
for the sake of some semblance
of community
in such a lonely culture
and there’s barely snow
in December anymore
and I’ve not been home
for Christmas in years
and I know as we get older
it’s easy to romanticize the past
but I feel clear on the magic
of those nights together
on the edge of the world
in the sunset snow
and how the fire we set
in the rocks
somehow spread
to warm us all
and still does
even as we all fade

Alexander Shalom Joseph is an award winning poet, writer and playwright from Gilpin County, and is the author of seven published books. You can find his work and more information about him at www.alexandershalomjoseph.com.