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
Come the new year
ReplyDeleteI bid Christmas "So long!"
"Banish decorations from here!"
Sigh....why's winter so long?
I like this Al, thanks for adding to this January tale
DeleteNow 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
ReplyDeleteno 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
DeleteYour 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...)
ReplyDeleteHave a super weekend!
thanks. Wouldn't matter if it's a wreath or a fake tree, there is always a lingering needle.
DeleteHa! 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. :-)
ReplyDeletethey are sneaky and know how to hide
DeleteI wish you a more beautiful year ahead.
ReplyDeleteit's all good. Just have to laugh at that ever lingering Christmas needle
DeleteThis is such a creative tree poem, Joanne! So many great lines like, "Christmas poses with no bad side for the camera!" Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteJulie
thanks - I personally was proud of that line - I appreciate you picking it out. cheers!
Delete