Poem: Unseasonal Xmas

 

Unseasonal Xmas

 

mutton clouds

wrap an eyeball of sun.

filet-white stare, which overlords

the trapped sinews of a meekening winter.

 

in the yard

bleachers of half-flaxen stick figures

hang droopy and dirty, 

icy heralds of translucent daze.

 

in the town, 

people squirm in pews, offices, theaters, stores,

acquiescent in the humdrum,

suffering staid, forgettable gamuts

of normal, unthought poses.

 

is it, all of it, everything 

about this snowless place,

nothing but a slow-motion blizzard 

of fallen wings?

it is only a grudge match 

between sugarcoated angels

who laminate sundry ornaments

in the bargain basement of the social dime store?

some lost saint once said

hope has been known to survive such fiascos.

half-starved and hurt, yes.

hope that braves one trench-like punchbowl 

to the next.

hope that endures, somehow, 

compatible with Old Nick,

through many avalanches of fake smiles

and forced laughter.

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9/26 lots of mods 

Old Saint Nick <==> Old Nick (nickname for the Devil)

11/13/25 mods .. nasty

6/21/24 ... mods

1/6/23   "forced" replaces "fake"

12/4   switched positions of "false" and "fake" 

12/3   "ornaments" replaces "tchotchkes"

12/2 ... changed the prepositions in the "pews" stanza ...