Friday, January 8, 2016

January Poem - Needled

Needled

I believe

I believe in Christmas obliteration

Joyous decoration occurs in early December
painstaking placement of treasured ornaments
heartwarming welcome to Santas and snowmen
time honored traditions prevail
two foot tall nutcrackers greet everyone at
the front door, while jaunty caroler figures
sing from bookshelves galore

the tree stands tall, as a red velvet cloth hides
its ugly stand. Shiny packages, complete with bows
beckon to be opened. Up until December 25th, Christmas
poses with no bad side for the camera.

then

it is over.

naked, the fake tree lists to port.
like a minesweeper I whoosh the figurines and baubles
into boxes. Done. Finished. Farewell faithful holiday
treats. Gaudy reds and greens seem too garish for January

Christmas does protest and tries to linger
lights refuse original packaging
one Santa hides on a far shelf, daring to be found and boxed

and no matter how often you vacuum, there are needles
the tree, in pieces, is stuffed into the attic

a week later                        needles
two weeks later                       needles

Easter arrives                                       needles

I believe they win



by Joanne Faries


12 comments:

  1. Come the new year
    I bid Christmas "So long!"
    "Banish decorations from here!"
    Sigh....why's winter so long?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like this Al, thanks for adding to this January tale

      Delete
  2. Now that's clever - would you give a master class on "shaping" a poem? I'd love to try this with older children at some point :) Special Teaching at Pempi’s Palace

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. no need for a master class, really. I had a poetry instructor that said you are only limited by imagination. Throw out the rules. So encourage your kids to use spaces as part of the poetry. Words matter, but so does what is not said...hope this helps

      Delete
  3. Your tree-shaped poem is very clever, and oh so true. When I used to decorate the house like a crazy lady, everything looked so sad and empty when I took everything down. Now I decorate very sparsely, and no more needles to contend with at all. However, I still have some decorations here and there. They're mostly snowmen and winter scenes, so I figure they can hang around for a while. (As long as they don't serve to invite the cold weather...)

    Have a super weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks. Wouldn't matter if it's a wreath or a fake tree, there is always a lingering needle.

      Delete
  4. Ha! I love this! It is so true. We always seem to have a stray santa or angel that was missed sitting about somewhere after everything else has been put away. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I wish you a more beautiful year ahead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it's all good. Just have to laugh at that ever lingering Christmas needle

      Delete
  6. This is such a creative tree poem, Joanne! So many great lines like, "Christmas poses with no bad side for the camera!" Happy New Year!

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks - I personally was proud of that line - I appreciate you picking it out. cheers!

      Delete