I remember the spectres of Christmas past
clear enough to want to leave them be,
the cards from that many relatives
that when we put strings up on the living room walls,
to put the cards on, there were always too many
for them all to go on display.
With our many relatives living in the town,
most of the cards were delivered by hand.
With the way that so many cards were sent,
that also demanded a return, Christmas was a campaign
thought for what and whom it was hard to tell.
None of us were church goers, and if one of us
ever thought to go, another would stop them going,
for fear that going might make them being happy.
The detail I remember most, and now find most odd
is the tiny plastic pegs which reflected the light
as they held the cards on the string on the wall.
No need for them now. I get two cards a year
and send the same. I expect the cards I send
to be treated the like the cards I receive
-the are best kept in a draw, and left unopened
until long after the non-event they celebrate.
