A Lifetime of Christmas Poetry
My mom, Raynette Forister Eitel, passed away in September of 2022, age 85, drifting away into dementia. It was tragic to watch this woman who loved words, who was a poet and teacher, fade away into wordlessness after a lifetime of crafting poetry.
Mom had a tradition of writing a new Christmas poem each year and sending it to friends and relatives. The mailing list grew each year, and people always told us they looked forward to mom’s Christmas poems. She published some in a couple little books. There are too many to post just once a day during the month of December, but I’ll choose some of the best.
Christmas Carols
by Raynette Eitel
Christmas carols take shelter
In the folds of night
And come out to dance
By candlelight.
They dwell in bells
Pealing their tones
Heavy with snow
White against the night sky.
Christmas songs linger long
In memories of childhood,
Hide in tears
And spill down cheeks.
Writing Rhetorically 