A Christmas Poem

This past week was a good one for me.  It was my first Christmastime in the Bay Area, so I had a chance to see what things here are like around this time of year.  I also was able to spend an entire 2 days with a pair of good friends I hadn't seen in 7 and 12 years, respectively.  All in all, it was a great chance to spend time with people I care about, and to see others do the same.

What follows is a whirlwind tour through Christmas as it happened to me; a photographic flipbook of my own design.  Enjoy!

PS. If you like this, I would appreciate if you could let me know.  Comments are easy to write, and it took me three days of effort to get everything just so.  It's always nice to know when hard work is appreciated.

Many years it had been since the last time we spoke
face-to-face, in the company of PEEK and POKE.
Tuesday evening was spent sitting down, catching up,
And at daybreak the three of us slowly awoke.

I pulled out my camera and looked all around:
Some things hide in plain sight, still yet to be found.
A sunflower draped from the knob of a door

And a med school vignette a few feet off the ground.

We later departed to find food to eat,
And in doing so, found quite a shadowy treat:
Here the sun was just right to throw words on the table;
I stopped, looked, and shot and the deed was complete.

With a couple steps farther we started our brunch
with some crêpes served for breakfast, and dessert for… uhh… lunch.
We shared memories of tricky black-and-red circles,
The most frustrating type.  Or at least, that's my hunch.

Then we carpooled back down to the south of the Bay
and then said our goodbyes and then each went our way.
'Til the next time we meet, I will think of y'all often.
And just for the giggles, I write here, "toupée."

So fast-forward now to the day of the Yule,
When I hit Ocean Beach, schlepping gear like a mule.
Gave a camera to L and kept one for myself,
And the weather was nice, not too hot, not too cool.

Some folks sat in the water and played with the sand,

Some alighted on stones, planted firmly on land,
Here a father and son (or, at least, I assume)
Sit and think, back-to-back, of some dreams meek and grand.

Here a kicker of sea foam sweeps some to the side,

And a man and a dog run and play in the tide.

As a man with a kite throws his arms in the air,

And a wearer of "sunblock" continues to stride.

Here two folks took a seat for a heart-to-heart chat,
Drinks in hand, shades in sand, with a black "SF" hat.

A bird traipses around, just along the water's edge

As another takes flight, dark before a golden matte.

And a man sits alone, likely having a ponder,
A hand to his cheek and his gaze far over yonder.
With the rustle of waves, breaking soft on the evening sand,
It's no wonder folks sit here to let their minds wander.

At the end of the day, set to go but standing by
Here to watch the warm, white sun descend slowly through an orange sky
Many folks turned to leave, but from the corner of an eye
Took one long, last look before each in turn said, "goodbye."

Merry Christmas and happy holidays.