Special Selection for the 2022/2023 Winter Holiday Issue
Poetry by Mona Mehas
Still, it lies there in the snow
All shimmer and crystal shining,
Icicles dangling all a-glow,
And with each branch, entwining.
The balls that were hung so carefully
Are now scattered upon the ground
And fallen there, disdainfully
Are candy canes with stripes around.
The lights that twinkled ever so bright
To all the world for seeing
No longer light up Winter’s nights,
Nor the souls of human beings.
The garland, and popcorn strings, and bows,
Along with children’s delight –
They’ve all tumbled to Angels’ snows,
Brilliant colors absorbed in white.
And last but not least, the star, so great,
Has been tossed aside, no doubt,
For it’s broken – count them – in pieces of eight,
As the New Year, it’s opened and let Christmas out.
Mona Mehas (she/her) writes about growing up poor, accumulating grief, and climate change. A retired teacher in Indiana, she’s at her laptop most days. She’s published in Words & Whispers, Grim and Gilded, and others. In 2020, she watched every Star Trek show and movie in chronological order. Find her on Twitter @Patienc77732097.
