21/12/2025
Winter Solstice
The longest night arrives,
its quiet breath sweeping over hills,
filling valleys with a velvet hush.
The stars hang heavy,
sharp as frost-bitten branches,
piercing through the endless black.
But here, in this darkness,
there is a pause, a reckoning—
a tender cradle for the weary year.
The Earth listens,
its frozen soil still and waiting,
a keeper of ancient secrets.
And yet, somewhere within,
the faintest pulse stirs,
a promise, a whisper:
That light will grow again,
the seeds will stir beneath snow’s embrace,
and what seems silent
is simply gathering strength.
Tonight, we honor the night,
its depth, its grace,
its quiet teaching
of how to hold on
and how to begin.
✍️ Rivers in the Ocean
