5 days till Christmas
There is a muddy pool of water

that will not move,

it sits outside the window

waiting for the broom.

It is watched by our daughter

penny in her hand,

waiting for a wish

“Make it something good ”

from curtains, I whisper.

-

The black bird spies

Something good to eat.

Today there is a choice

between the berry

and the worm.

Today the black bird

knows abundance.

-

Christmas is five days away

the house is full of waiting.

The Tree is up and it is steady

dressed in toys of hope.

Presents will be wrapped

just before the eve.

This is preparation

organised with ease.

-

Shall we wear our festives

while drinking cheap champagne?

Spray the house in cinnamon?

Leave the heating on?

Shall we light one candle,

or all the candles we possess?

Will the house be warm this Christmas?

-

Five days have past.

Feet thunder down the stairs.

Eyes are open but full of sleep

as they drop to the floor

hands stretched out,

“Which are mine?”

Have we bought too many

or too few?

-

The house is covered in new,

the waste is put to one side.

The elf no longer needs to hide.

The online shopping stops

…only for a while…

We now spend the day

watching childhood memories made.

Hoping to correct

or reinvent

or reproduce

something

that we’ve known,

or haven’t known before.
['Lennie Varvarides']
['Christmas', 'Poets On Medium', 'Childhood', 'Gratitude', 'Poetry']