Twinkling Souls

Twinkling souls dot the family tree,
like the shimmering lights in December.
Their warmth subdues our longing eyes as they scour the branches of time.
Their love anointed by hand and by heart to the very hearts within us. 

Like a temporal game of telephone,
the souls are merely echoes.
But the sound of love --
Though never repeated,
Is the same no matter the lyrics.

It is the sweetest, most familiar melody imaginable,
It is happy birthday in every language.
It is Mozart on his best day. 
It is chopsticks played on Christmas.

It is our past.
It is our future.
It is a constellation of twinkling souls
dotting the family tree.