In December
reminders of friends from past lives
dropp daily on the mat, renewing ties
that every year become more frayed,
retain still fewer strands from which
to weave our bridges,
span the miles and years,
my address book fretted with deletions.
In December
absent friends crowd back,
on paths parallel
and diverged.
Good news passed on: careers,
retirements, births, successes.
Bad news passed over:
deaths and failures braved; a web
of recent memories
spun in Christmas letters.
Inventories of events, and more
deletions.
Every year, more deletions...
and I fear the postman will
one day in March deliver back
a card I’ve sent this month,
maybe to an aging friend
whom I’ve not contacted
in spring or summer on the phone,
who now must be deleted,
is “not known”.
I can empathise - the Christmas Card list seems to get smaller year by year as aged relations pass on or as I lose touch with old friends who have moved and don't send their new addresses.
Your courage in your words written down..... thank you for this reminder...
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
You managed to catch the essence of the Christmas & New Year's holidays with all these 'reminders of friends from past lives dropp daily on the mat, renewing ties...', the narration runs so smoothly till the last stanza, when in March the things take a bad turn. I like this poem very very much. It is an unusual, but great Christmas poem!