Darkness Becoming Visible: November

Written for the congregation of the church of St. John the Baptist, Devizes, England Within a pumpkin’s hollow is a candle burning bright We have prayed the dead to silence, we have sent them to the light Bring in dark November, let the winter cold begin Stick the heating on and let the Saints come marching in There will be icy dawns and fireworks, dank leaves and naked trees We shall wish for Christmas jumpers to protect against the freeze Is it colder now than last year? Oh, where did the year go By the time we’ve got a grip we will be sliding in the snow We will remember that November gives birth to the Advent season And that once the knives were out for Fawkes for gunpowder and treason We shall wish for bonfires high enough to chase the night away As we watch the winter shadows fill the corners of the day We have been tricked, we have been cheated; now it’s all downhill from here Until we come to rest, at Christmas, when a new light will appear by Gail