CHRISTMAS PARTY

CHRISTMAS PARTY


IT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE A SAD TIME
AND IT WASN’T
A GATHERING OF THE CLAN
FIVE GENERATIONS

FIVE GENERATIONS
COUNT THEM
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
FIVE
AS IN FIVE FINGERS
ONE SHORT A HALF DOZEN
FOUR MORE THAN ONE
FIVE

BUT I DIGRESS

IT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE A SAD TIME
A GATHERING OF THE CLAN
FOR CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
A CELEBRATION OF FAMILY

I WASN’T FEELING WELL
AN ACCUMULATION
OF ACHES AND PAINS AND AGE

BUT I WANTED TO COME
I HAD TO COME

I WAS WATCHING THE GAME
ALONE ON THE COUCH
THE PARTY HAD MIGRATED
TO THE KITCHEN
THE PLAYROOM
THE COMPUTER ROOM

I
IN A MOMENT
OF MIS-NOMENCLATURE
WAS IN THE LIVING ROOM
SHOULD HAVE BEEN
THE SLEEPING ROOM

BUT I DIGRESS

I WAS TIRED
FROM ARGUING WITH MY GRANDCHILD
YES
MY YOUNGEST GRANDCHILD
I WAS TIRED
FROM ARGUING
THAT THE BOWL
A VERY NICE BOWL
SHE HAD GIVEN ME FOR CHRISTMAS
WAS A HAT
AND I WAS WEARING IT

FINALLY
PROPERLY THANKED
FOR MY BOWL/HAT
SHE LEFT
WONDERING
ABOUT HER GENE POOL

TO BE REPLACED
BY A GREAT GRANDSON
WHO HUGGED ME
AND ASKED TO SIT BESIDE ME
SURE I SAID

SO WE SAT THERE
SNUGGLED TOGETHER
WATCHING THE GAME
TALKING ABOUT SCHOOL
AND PRESENTS
AND HOW HE LIKED LIVING IN THE COUNTRY
AND HOW HE HOPED GRAND POP
WOULD BE FEELING BETTER
FOR THAT MOMENT HE WAS MY FAVORITE
DON’T TELL THE OTHERS

HE NEEDED SOMETHING
I NEEDED SOMETHING
SO WE SAT THERE QUIETLY
NOT WATCHING THE GAME
ENJOYING THE SENSE
OF BELONGING TO EACH OTHER

THOUGH HE PROBABLY
COULD HAVE DONE BETTER
THAN A GREAT GRANDFATHER
WITH A BOWL ON HIS HEAD

FRANK A VOLLMER