a night not to be silent - 8

(Hang on... this is all coming to an end...)

this is a poem

this is a poem about the last page
this is a poem about feeling panicked
this is a poem about lists
this is a poem about putting up lights and garland and angels
this is a poem about shopping and tired feet
this is a poem about finding mom’s recipe
and buying butter – for baking
this is a poem about choosing the right card
and signing my name 47 times
this is a poem about wrapping paper, tape and ribbon
this is a poem about bells and snow and old records
this is a poem about feasting
this is a poem about getting around to reading the familiar story
and wondering, how did something
that started out so simple
get to be so complicated?
this is a poem about Christmas

© 2001 Violet Nesdoly

I wrote this originally as greeting card verse for my next-door neighbor. I thought it was perfect until I re-read it 24 hours later and realized - this sounds really negative, as if I’m resenting Christmas (and yikes, maybe she’ll think I also resent the cards and gifts we regularly exchange). So I sent a safe, off-the-rack, professionally written card instead and filed my effort away.

I didn’t give the poem another thought until the following summer. Then in response to a Christmas contest, I sent it off to Essence Publishing. Happily, it was included in the finished Christmas collection, Celebrating the Season 2001.

And that’s it for the Christmas verses. If you’ve stayed with me for the duration, Thank You!

(There were other fine poems in our modest collection, but I’ve not been able to reach the writers to obtain permission to post them.)

HAVE A BLESSED AND JOYOUS CHRISTMAS!