A friend recently sent me a photo that was a throwback to 2004… the year my poetry was first published in an anthology. She had asked me for a signed copy and I’d sent her one.
Mistletoe Madness, published by Blooming Tree Press, was chock full of poems and stories for young readers about Christmas. My poem, “Christmas Eve Wishes,” was included in the anthology alongside the work of so many other writers and illustrators, including Linda Joy Singleton, Elizabeth O. Dulemba, and Agy Wilson.

Do you ever want to get out an editing pen, even after your work has been published? That’s been the case almost every time my poetry appears in any collection or anthology, and this one is no exception. Still, I love it because it was the first.
Christmas Eve Wishes
by Mary E. Cronin
Our gifts are stacked and laced
With ribbons curling bright
For every child who’s yearning
I wish a gift tonight.
Our dinner plates sparkle
On the tablecloth white
I wish all hungry families
Will have a feast tonight.
As carols play softly
Our Christmas tree’s alight
I wish a peaceful evening
For the whole wide world tonight.
***
I love being a part of Poetry Friday, a weekly celebration of children’s poetry. Painter, poet, and illustrator Michelle Kogan is hosting the Roundup of Poetry Friday posts today at her blog, which features a beautiful poem, “Stardust.”
Wishing all in the Poetry Friday community the happiest of holidays, even as it may be a quieter Christmas than usual.