As the fires make corners of this house bearable, and the night falls silent and starless, I am thinking, not of Christmas, that seems so far away and meaningless, but of my children who will be coming here tomorrow to celebrate the ending of the year, and those who, for one reason or another, can’t make it.

Thank you, Frank, for throwing out this challenge.

To bring back the sun,

fires burn through the long nights—

in the east, a star.

Is this enough pale fire

to last us through the darkness?