Dawn of the Millennium: A Happy Reminiscence

I awoke before dawn at 4:30 am
One cold December Monday morn
Twas 5 days till the time
That Christ was born

I ventured outside
Before morning’s light
I beheld a winter wonderland
Oh what a sight

The ground was covered
In a foot of snow
The streetlights cascaded down
Creating a warm glow

I began my slow trek from my tiny apartment
In Squirrel Hill, down pristine Bartlett Street
All was undisturbed, just a pure blanket of white
The coverage was complete

Above me, crows cawed and flew ahead
I entered the Upper Panther Hollow Trail
I felt like an explorer in an alien world
Visibility was low, it was still quite dark

As I slowly made my way down the trail in Schenley Park
I saw above the white canopy I was below
It reminded me of how God makes us
White and pure as snow

Bright white lights punctured the air
Illuminating a dazzling display
Of diamonds twinkling and shining
Into another world, it was a gateway

I exhale
I see crystals suspended in time
The frosty air stings my lungs
I feel alive and vital, in my prime

I’m out of the park in South Oakland now
Walking down Boulevard of the Allies
I go turn down steep Bates Street
While singing the Austrian tune Edelweiss

Traffic is still slow
I soon reach my destination on Second Avenue
Carnegie Mellon Research Institute
My trek is nearly through

Situated along the banks of the Monongahela River
CMRI was a nice place to work
But it’s been over 20 years since it was shutdown
I disagree with letting us all go, but I won’t besmirk

In just 3 days, my Christmas and New Year vacation began
When I returned it would be a new millennium
2,000 years since Christ was born, a very special time
Some pundits were predicting Y2K pandemonium

My workday finished
I began the long trek home
It was nice but not quite as magical as the morning
Home at last, I started reading a thick tome

I played Bach’s Mass in B minor on my stereo
And fell asleep early that night
Dreaming of my winter wonderland
The comfy chair became my bedsite

by Zachary Uram
(c) 2023