Christmas Present Poem by Robert Charles Howard

Christmas Present

Rating: 2.0


A snow blower at maximum throttle
has no cyclonic edge
on a happy quintet of grandkids
assaulting a stack of presents.

Cameras snap and flash to preserve
the blizzard of paper and bows
heaped like snow drifts on the floor
and each new treasure's explored
even while paper continues to fly.

Little Grace repeatedly extracts and installs
a pair of pink shoes on her cabbage patch doll
that for the season is named Gabrielle.

Stephen buzzes the room with a bright wooden plane.
and Nathanael has formed a permanent bond
with his new red and black locomotive.

Michael, who serves as patron saint
to his kid baby sister Grace,
allows her to crawl in giggling beside him
to share in the warmth of his quilt.

Tyler sits curled with a Karate book
with earnest plans to master each move.
(So if you’re planning to mess with Tyler,
get it done before he turns twelve) .

Then Stephen hands over his red recorder
requesting a song, “mucus grandpa.”
I pipe out a chorus of “Deck the Halls”
and follow with “Jingle Bells.”

Then the dinner call sounds and we
pile our plates with beef and potatoes
and no one seems to mind at all
that Nathanael has brought
his beloved new train
to keep by his side at the table.

Christmas day, 2007

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Ying Escalona 26 December 2007

'go to the world and multiply'...and you did...merry christmas

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Alison Cassidy 26 December 2007

I can see it all - you have stitched them in in bold tapestry colours and framed your family quintet for posterity. As for the ''mucus Grandpa' utterance, that will go down in family history and embarrass the protagonist for years to come. Glad the train went down so well. Her indoors must be chuffed. A thoroughly enchanting poem from a thoroughly enchanting wordsmith. love, Allie xxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Scarlett Treat 26 December 2007

And the greatest gift of all is your ability to see that the children are what it is all about in the first place. The gift to us is to be able to see the smiles on their faces!

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Michael Shepherd 29 December 2007

Sheer delight conveyed, Maestro! To be genuinely happy for the writer of a poem, without some implicit demand, is as pure as a flute's sound...

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You've captured a moment in time. And you've also really brought into play with your words, the Christmas spirit. Bravo, L&T

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You've captured a moment in time. And you've also really brought into play with your words, the Christmas spirit. Bravo, L&T

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Roger Cornish 02 January 2008

Warmth Rob.... A Real Christmas Cracker.... Immortalising a proper family Christmas, the imagery is stunning! Keep posting! Roger.

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Sandra Fowler 31 December 2007

Beautiful, warm and heartfelt.Your grandchildren are truly poem worthy. Happy New Year! As always, Sandra

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David E. Patton 31 December 2007

You set this up so well that I feel like I am there watch just out of sight and that is the true job of a poet, Well done with this poem.

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