Wordful creation

The best thing about Christmas may be the mindfulness it brings.

Last week the Young Writers, a group of high school-age writers and adult mentors, exchanged gifts. The rules were simple: We each drew a name, and had one week to create a word gift for that person. We could create original poems, songs, letters . . . or share published pieces, or any other wordful creation that reminded us of the name we had drawn.

When we gathered to share our gifts, gratitude and pride circled the room. One student received a love poem, another a letter. One teen was given an inspirational message printed on fancy paper and presented as a scroll. Another a handmade card. A young woman gave me an artful acrostic of my name.

It is a powerful experience to receive a gift that someone had made purposefully for you. Both the giving and receiving require thoughtful consideration and contemplation. And that, really, is the best gift of all.

For the exchange, I drew the director of Seashore Family Literacy, who started the Young Writers Group many years ago. Here's the poem I gave to her:

Lost and Found

for Senitila, who knows

This morning

the young girl

wears a face

wounded by

words

with my arms

around her

I am wounded too

Tonight you call

say

I am lost

I want to tell you

I am lost too

all of us stumbling

hurt and bruised

I want to say

pack for a long trip

plot your way

but instead

we share

a map

worn from

distance and

drift

together

we study the

roads to find

our way

home

— Drew Myron