My Elixir

I wish I could have bottled it--
A fresh breath of the crisp autumn air
Of my childhood,
A bracing, invigorating breath,
Tinged with smoke from tall chimneys.

So now I could remove the stopper
Of this wonderful elixir
And catch a whiff of the excitement
Of school opening with good times
With books and learning
And games with friends.

With stopper opened again,
I could sense the essence of a fresh snowfall
And screams of excitement,
While sledding downhill faster than the wind
And tumbling into a cold wet heap
At the very bottom.

The opened stopper would release the joy
Of Thanksgiving dinner with all the family
Around the table, waiting for Dad's
Special blessing of gratitude
Before carving the turkey,
And topping it all off
With Grandma's spicy pumpkin pie,
Buried in whipped cream.

Once more to open the stopper
Would bring the hope of Christmas:
The Babe in the manger,
The shepherds and angels,
And the wisemen with their gifts,

And my own gifts under the tree
With the twinkling lights,
And the sound of carols soaring
Into the night air.

Oh, to open the stopper now
And inhale to recapture it all.
If only I could have bottled it.