First Christmas
Sarah Carter Conklin
I
There are pictures of me
Barely two months old
In red romper overalls
My head bobbing like a doll’s
While grandpa holds me
Smiling into the camera
Around him the tribe
Of cousins I don’t know
Anymore
II
We opened our gifts on Christmas Eve
The year grandma died
Dad had done it that way
Mom told us
When he was small
For daddy
We said
Yes
There was a somber sound
In the tearing of those presents
He smiled in thanks
And sat very still
We hoped on hope for dad to be happy
And when the last gift was opened
He let the tears flow
III
We bought a tree early
From Duffy’s lot on a snowy Sunday
Duffy told us we’d get a free one
If it died
The needles are dropping
On the red tree skirt
And I worry there won’t be any
Left by Christmas
It’s ok
He says
It’ll make for a good story
To tell the kids
He says
I try to imagine
Years from now
In a house with a yard
And stockings hanging high
Telling the story of our first
Christmas to faces
That don’t yet exist
And laughing at the
Thought of now
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Juxtaposition in
Transit AJ
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Galway in a Storm
Val Nolan