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 Sea Songs
by Raynette Eitel
The Christmas sea
Is calm and bright tonight.
Fragrance of frankincense and myrrh
Mingle with salt air.
Light arcs across the water like
One bright star showing the way.
I could walk that silver bridge to
A distant fishing boat
Rocking like a cradle.
A clear midnight sky bends down
To stroke the sea,
Moonlight bringing gifts of gold.
Sky and sea
Are one in solemn stillness,
Silently awaiting angel songs
And morning stars proclaiming
A Holy Birth.
Three royal palms
With jeweled fronds of light
Guard the silent beach.
A large silver shell
Trailing foam like ribbons
Holds the sound of the sea;
Or might it be
The quiet thrum of angel wings
Above a newborn child?
Writing Rhetorically 