So that the reverence and the gaiety
May not be forgotten in later experience,
In the bored habituation, the fatigue, the tedium,
The awareness of death, the consciousness of failure,
Or in the piety of the convert
Which may be tainted with a self-conceit
Displeasing to God and disrespectful to children
(And here I remember also with gratitude
St.Lucy, her carol, and her crown of fire):

The winter harvest has begun
Lettuce, broccoli, carrots
Budding in the desert
Watered from far-off snow
Still not sufficient to ripen the desire
Maria's parents carried from Oaxaca
An only sister disappeared, older brother dead
The little brother she cradled
One more boy with a gun

Fear over-ripe in the winter sun.