Oh how the Christmas lights
once lit the front porch
merry and bright
casting a kaleidoscope of colors on the snow
as years spent, the lights continued to dim
the air grew colder.
lights no longer hung on rooftops
we got older.
gifts became thoughtless,careless.
we lost touch with ourselves
we said we wouldn’t mind
—but I did.
there are no gifts this year
no violence wrapped in bows,
I replay the memories of those nights
-full of snacks and laughter.
do you watch for my car?
headlights in the falling snow
waiting to open the door- the moment I arrived?
cars pass on the snowy street
but none stop at your home
did you put up the tree?
adorned with decorations from foreign places
cultures mingling on its branches
hoping we’d come see its warm light.
we won’t be coming.we didn’t ask for gifts—not another chance
for you to mask your cruelty.
we weren’t asking for gifts—only for something real.
a feeling of togetherness, we all once felt on these Christmas nights