Well now,
I don't know always know about holidays
It doesn't always feel right
That some children get brunch in bed and kisses with Mama
And some of us wander around the springtime, alone
And that some children get cards with hearts and roses
And some of us wander around the snow fields, alone
It doesn't always feel right
That fireworks fall like stars in the air over people who aren't free, like me
I get to celebrate how independent I am, red, white and blue
But all the people my country bent to it's will don't ask God to bless America
But the thing of it is, is that good things can sometimes take a wrong turn
My beautiful continent tries hard, I know it
And it's brimming with good men and women
Mama's don't always brush hair and look forward to cuddles
But Heaven knows, they try too
It doesn't matter really, what exact date it was when the sky turned to angels
With all the shepherds leaving their sheep
Because something bigger than maintaining order was unfolding in Bethlehem
It really only matters that we're here together, celebrating
Giving roses all the darn time
To everyone we can think of
It matters that those darling Mama's get breakfast and tulips today
They should have them every morning of their whole lives
We should all of us, take care of each other
Write letters, eat ice cream in some shady spot together
We should all of us roar as a crowd on January First
"We've done it again!"
They say no man is an island and it's true
All of us are Archipelago
We need a little ocean room, for sailing and whale watching
And we need each other on the horizon
Soul waves lapping at each other
Messages in bottles traveling only a few yards and on into memory
We need to hold each other closer
God knows, it's easy to forget
That everything lasts for only a breath
Before a new one is drawn
Mama's, beloveds, countries
Shift and shape before our eyes
Sometimes they vanish
We stand blinking for a long time
Saying
"Where did they go? They were there just a minute ago, I swear"
And they were
And we didn't always notice
There's too many of us to lavish each other properly
As we'd like to
Too many minutes in a day to remember to say grace over all of them
But don't miss being here now, if you can
People won't understand what you're doing
Tackling your poor Mama
Kissing her hands off
But do it sometimes!
Whenever you can remember
Oh, every day is Holy
Whether or not we mark it
So let's!
Send presents and make pancakes and write mushy love notes
We still have paradise
Let's switch that survival instinct off, even for just an afternoon
And do something wild, even if the whole world watches
And shakes their heads a bit
Envy does things like that, because it burns with longing for freedom
Be free, because you are!
Give love, because you have it
Go looking for God in the foothills
Because you'll find Him
Treasure the flowers
Because they fade, they die
But come back next year
Bigger, brighter than ever
