Solstice

The darkness comes swiftly

the shadows grow cold

Snow tumbles gently

defenses won’t hold

as the night lingers on

as the stars shine down coldly

as the wolves howl more boldly

soft feet pace the borders

glowing eyes haunt the night

as vision fades

as the stars tell their story

and the darkness holds fast

and the snow spreads its silence

and the day doesn’t come

and the darkness has won

silence, silence in the night,

silent battle as the stars hold their sway

And the last log burns out

and the mind full of doubt

and we hope and we pray

for the break of the day

for the coming of Son

The night-watch grows fearful

for the battle seems won

and the snow falls down colder

and the hunter grows bolder

as the fires die

but a child’s cry

sounds in the dark as the yule log is lit

And the sparks light the night

and the star tells its story,

the coming of glory,

and a voice cries “Rejoice!”

God has shown us his choice

and the night fades away

with the break of the day

for heaven kissed earth

in the chill

of the

night.

The True Story of the Trojan War

The Trojan guardsman peered over the vast field that separated his city from the Greek camps.  From where he stood on the walls, he could see the smoke from their campfires and smell the dinner being cooked.  His stomached growled, as he shook his head and focused on his duty.  He would get a meal when he was relieved.  He glanced behind him, trying to figure out why his replacement hadn’t arrived but as he looked, another guard appeared on the steps behind him and saluted him, saying: “I’m here to relieve you.”  The guard nodded and replied: “Good, I was starting to worry I was going to be stuck here all night and I’m famished.”  The new guard laughed and said, “Well, better get yourself down to the hall then, the scouts brought back a boar earlier today and I think there’s still quite a bit left.”  This news made the guard smile as he gave one last look over the battlefield.  Suddenly, his smile dropped as he saw something leaving the Greek camp.  He motioned to the other guard and said, “look, is that someone on horseback approaching the gate?”  The other guard peered out and replied, “Looks like it is, and he appears to be carrying an olive branch.  Do you think the Greeks want to surrender?”  The other guard contained his excitement at the idea and said, let’s not get to excited yet.”  The Greek soldier continued riding at full speed toward the gate and as he approached, the Trojan guards could see that he wore no armor, carried no weapons, and seemed to be waving at them and as he got closer, the guards could hear that he was yelling at them to open the gate.  The y roused a few more guardsmen, just in case, and went down to the gate to meet the stranger.  The Greek entered the city, dismounted his horse, still waving the olive branch enthusiastically as he said, “I come in peace!  I am unarmed and I wish to speak to your king.”  One of the guards laughed, “You think you can get an audience with the king, just because you show up at the gates?”  The Greek looked puzzled for a moment before replying, “Yes?  I just need to speak to him about the war, it won’t take very long.”  The guardsman who had spotted him from the wall asked, “Are you here to negotiate a surrender?”  The Greek laughed and replied, “Oh no, we’d never do that.  Have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of Greeks?  No, actually, I was wondering if you guys wanted to take a break?”  The Trojan guards stared at him for a moment before one of them finally replied, “A break?  You mean, stop the war as if it was the weekend?”  The Greek shrugged and said, “Why not?  I mean, come on, we’ve been at this for five years, Five Years!  I’m getting tired, I’m sure you guys are getting tired, and we all know that all work and all play, makes Jack a dull boy.”  One of the Trojans asked, “Who is this Jack person?”  The Greek shook his head and replied, “No one of importance, anyway, as I was saying, if we all just agreed to take a break, we could sail home for a year, rest up, get cleaned up, maybe get some better food and meet back up in a year to pick up where we left off.”  The Trojans stared at the man in disbelief.  “You mean to say you want to just, stop fighting for a year, and then go right back at it afterwards?  Are you serious?”  The Greek looked at him quizzically and replied, “You know, that’s almost exactly what my commander said when I proposed the idea, but after I explained the reasons to him for a few hours, he told me to just grab a branch and tell you guys.  He’s pretty smart and knows a good idea when he hears it, why, he even suggested that I should forget the olive branch and just come over as fast as I could ride because he knew you would want to hear this, but I know the branch is symbolic, so I grabbed it anyway.”  The guards paused for a moment before they all broke out in uproarious laughter, causing the Greek to look at them in annoyance until they had settled down.  When the laughter finally subsided, one of the Trojans looked at the Greek and asked, “You’re being serious, aren’t you?”  The Greek, becoming flustered at this point replied, “Yes.  Now if you are quite finished, I demand that you take me to your king!”  One of the guards nudged the man next to him and said, “Escort him to the king’s palace, I’ll let him know who’s coming.”  With that, he sprinted ahead while the other guards formed a detail around the Greek, escorting him down the street.  After a short hike, they arrived at the royal palace and entered the gold-plated doors.  Inside, the king sat on his throne waiting and once the group had reached him, he said, “I was told you had something I needed to hear.  Speak quickly Greek, and I sincerely hope you are not wasting my time.”  With that, the Greek cleared his throat and explained again his plan for taking a year off.  After he had finished, he looked expectantly at the king who sat there, looking ponderous for a moment before turning to the guard next to him to ask, “Are you certain he is serious?”  The guard, barely containing his grin, nodded in confirmation.  With that, the king leaned back in his chair, nodded to himself, then almost fell off of his throne laughing.  The Greek’s face flushed, but he remained quiet and waited for the king to regain his composure, which took a considerable amount of time.  Then, the king straightened his robes and said, “I’m afraid we cannot process your request at this time.  If, in the future, you have any other ideas you feel would be helpful in this war, feel free to let me know.  Guards, take him back to the front gate, and see that he is unharmed.”  The Greek was then returned to his camp, and became the only Greek allowed into Troy for many more years.  He proposed ideas ranging from settling the war with a Denarius Flip to trading places halfway through the war and letting the Greeks defend Troy while the Trojans besieged her.  One day, a note was left for the Trojans that the Greeks would be doing a gift exchange the next day and that they should have a present ready.  The Trojans paid little mind to this, until a giant wooden horse appeared on their doorstop overnight.  And that is how the Greeks eventually won the war.