Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours showcases poems by northern Illinois poets. This segment features a poem by Paula Coulahan.
Coulahan is a Language Arts teacher for Rockford Public Schools. She is a part of Moms Demand Action, Teachers for Social Justice and United Against Hate. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Northern Illinois University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Aurora University. Coulahan and her husband, Mike, have been married for 35 years. They have two adult sons. Here's her poem. "Christmas Comes and Goes."
Between the rustle of November
And the sweep of silver January snows
It makes its way between our hearts
And sorrows of the world
Christmas overcomes the flags of hate unfurled
The new year flies with every passing day
Like fragrant skin on a Christmas orange
It peels away
So, we must rise, grateful for each chance
To stand within that space
That holds the joy
To overcome whatever darkness
Seeps and creeps so thinly
Into places darkness finds
And stand amidst the rustle and the sweep
The joy, the fragrant peels and love so deep
That overcome the flags of hate unfurled
And seek to heal the sorrows of the world
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.