In the Wake of Christmas

A found poem considering the ghosts of Christmases past

Jan M Flynn
Curated Newsletters

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Photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash

In time gone, when the big house filled
With children and food and the breath of relatives
Marking together the sparkling zenith of
Days and weeks set apart

All for the purpose of coiling a sense
Of urgency, of expectation,
Limned with brightness glowing or garish,
The annual yearning toward magic

And belief that it could be. So much to
Be done, I would start months ahead
Hoping to manage the spiraling build
Toward that one day

Gifts purchased and hidden, cards
Addressed and stamped, dates held
In reserve for parties and visits, school programs,
The ritual drive to witness the lights

Displayed to render sacred the ordinary.
The stakes were once so high
And inescapable, insistent music everywhere
A goad toward action

All effort mounting to the singularity
That swept each of us into our ordained spaces…

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Jan M Flynn
Curated Newsletters

Writer & educator. The Startup, Writing Cooperative, P.S. I Love You, The Ascent, more. Award-winning short fiction. Visit me at www.JanMFlynn.net.