Write about: the tree.
Hmm, Christmas is suddenly four days away. That doesn't seem right.
Looking forward to the arrival of Max's cousin Natalie tomorrow morning, along with her mom. Her grandma isn't going to be joining them, as she's quite unfortunately come down with a cold. I'm sad that she won't be with us for the holidays, but appreciate that she didn't want to infect all of us who would have been in close quarters with her.
The Christmas tree was put up and decorated this morning/early afternoon. Max was suitably excited.
If you're thinking to yourself, That seems like a pretty big tree, then, well, you're quite right. I'm impressed it only took me, Kat's dad, and Kat's brother to get it inside, upright, and stable.
Mine:
I don't like it here,
It takes up too much space
And it feels like it's
Always getting in my face.
And beside,
Trees are not meant
To be inside.
You think what you will,
That's entirely your right.
You can say that you love
The way it looks at night.
But to me
It hates being here and I think the
Squirrels agree.
2 comments:
Ah, but Marc, size doesn't matter (as the disappointed actress said to the bishop...)! The tree is very impressive, though I actually agree with you that trees don't really belong inside the home unless the house has been constructed around the tree. It's very nicely decorated too, you should be proud :)
Heh, I like the ebb and flow of your poem, capturing quite nicely the reluctance the narrator feels to be too dismissive of a tree everyone else appreciates but that is quite clearly in the wrong place. The rhyme scheme choice is perfect for it, and the line lengths are nicely choppy; the hesitance is captured really well.
And the squirrels at the end are a nice touch!
The tree
Christmas in Jack's Cactus didn't come with snow, or reindeer or even a Santa hat, but they'd gone to the trouble of erecting a mighty fine cactus in the middle of the town square and sticking some decorative cookies on the longer of its spikes. Ben had remarked, as we'd cantered past earlier, that it didn't seem all that Christmassy to him to see a gingerbread man impaled through the forehead, but Jimmy had opined that it was all about religion and they were big on that kind of thing. We all kind of fell silent at that point, as Jack's Cactus did have religion, and we were keen not to meet it.
"Well hello there," drawled a voice as deep as a well, and I squinted sideways at Ben, wary of turning my head any more than I had too, and I just caught him rolling his eyes.
"Suzie," he said, with just a hint of remorse in his voice. "Come to gloat?"
"Just seeing what's all wrapped up sweet beneath the Christmas tree," she said. Her lips were as red as the setting sun, and her eyes were gleaming. "Aren't you just the darlingest little presents!"
"You here with the minister?" I asked. The last time I'd seen her we'd taken her from a nunnery, though the jury was out on whether it was rescue, kidnap, or hot pursuit. Suzie was an opportunist through and through. She paled when I asked that though.
"Marcus the firebrand?" she said. "Hells no, boys, you think I'm that mad?"
Of course, us all being tied to the tree -- I mean cactus -- meant that neither me nor Jimmy could stop Ben agreeing wholeheartedly with her.
"Well fine," she said, turning away. "You boys just wait to be unwrapped on Christmas day then!"
As she stomped off in a fine hissy fit, Jimmy twisted his head to look at an impenitent Ben.
"I sure could use a cigar right about now," he said.
Greg - I quite like the idea of a house constructed around a tree. Put in a nice skylight, find a natural source of water...
Anyway. Kat's dad picked out the tree, so I had no hand in choosing the size of it.
Ah, the boys. In trouble, as usual. I really must make time for them again soon.
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