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A
Solstice Wish
by
Wind Dancer
I
woke up earlier than usual on the day of the winter solstice. Outside,
the sun had just begun to peek over the mountains, and I gasped in amazement
as I unabashedly gloried in the red and yellow hues that burst forth.
The rooster crowed, and the sparrows, which made their nest outside my
window, began to chirp noisily as they prepared to sing in the day.
My
lover, Johnny, still mostly asleep, grunted his cute little morning grunt
and shifted his body so he could put his arm over my side and snuggle deeper
into the warmth of our bodies. Continuing to watch the sunrise through
the large bedroom windows, I disentangled myself from his embrace and thanked
the Sky God for such a beautiful view.
After
yawning and stretching and throwing on a robe, I walked to the kitchen
to start the morning coffee in preparation for the day-long celebration
we were hosting. At about 10:00 a.m. the guests were arriving, and
between then and now, I had bread to bake, vegetables to clean, a turkey
to prepare. My vegetarian friends would give me hell, but I love
turkey, so I mentally girded my loins for the snide remarks about dead
bird.
I
hear the soft and almost unintelligible word "coffee" from over my shoulder
and I smile and turn around to give Johnny in a full bear hug, while tickling
and kissing him soundly on the lips. "Happy Cure Day" I say to him
in my best gruff morning voice. He grunts and looks like he's going
to rebel for a moment. Suddenly he starts laughing, and tries
to wrestle me onto the floor which is carpeted (thank the God). Fortunately
for me, I outweigh him by about 60 pounds, and I easily get him in a half-nelson
and tell him to say uncle. "Uncle, uncle, already. For crying
out loud!" he lets out. Laughing and tousling his hair, I help him
up and hand him his coffee mug. After adding an indecent amount of
sugar to mine we go onto the porch and enjoy the stirring of nature.
The
family cats, following us out onto the porch stretch and purr as they wend
themselves between our legs, happily asking to be fed. "Give me a
second to wake up you little rugrats," I laugh. I detour and dip
a bowl into the cat food and set it down so they can eat.
Sitting
down on Johnny's lap, I lay my head on the top of his and remember Doug,
our friend and my lover, who I wished could have been here to celebrate
with us day. Johnny reaches up and holds on tight and says, "I know,
honey, I wish he could have been here too." A small tear runs down
my cheek, which I hastily brush away, reminding myself that there is nothing
to be sad about today, and I thank the Goddess for the millionth time for
the gifts She has given me.
Watching
the sun move every higher in the sky, I turn to my lover and ask him, "Remember
five years ago when we first heard the announcement that AIDS would never
kill anybody again?" "Yes," he says, "and I remember the constant
fear that I would also lose you. That LA Times headline on December
21, 2000 made sure you and I could spend a lot more time together."
I look down at him and unabashedly start crying as he rocks me and murmurs
in that special language that lovers develop over time.
I
wrote this story as a magickal wish and a gift to the world.
Merry
Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Winter Solstice, Happy Kwanza. Or
just happy December. Whichever day you celebrate, I wish you the
joy and hope and love of the season. May we be able to celebrate
"Cure Day" sometime soon.
 
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