Annmarie Lockhart is the executive editor of vox poetica. Nathan Gunter is the site’s managing editor.

The Gift
By Annmarie Lockhart & Nathan Gunter

You are the wrapping paper
and the bow
the Christmas-morning smiles
and leftovers revisited
the ham glaze of Dr. Pepper,
the popping of champagne corks,
and the anticipation, the joyful wait
for beauty unleashed.
You were born with the gift
inside your mouth
shining out from within.
Your words will lead the lost
out of their murky dark
Your voice will call the dying
back into Lazarus life.

You sing an old song, a new song
chant an incantation, a healing
rite. You raise your hands, toast
the future, invoke the past.
You reveal the hope of Advent,
the promise of the ancients,
the tantalizing fruit of the great tree.
You tell all the vital secrets.
Thank you for the words,
the shape of letters on the page,
this dialogue you make possible.
Thank you for building tomorrow,
for making the world a better place.
May the unwrapping of the gift of you
continue to be the best part of what we do.