Poetry by Perie Longo
I wish the mailman Happy New Year
and tongue in cheek, he grins Merry Christmas
and I say Happy Presidents’ Day,
counting the hours until the next
long weekend still recovering from
holiday trappings and he laughs
Happy Valentine’s Day
and I counter Happy Easter
when along grinds the refuse truck.
My four-foot Christmas tree
looks like a top hat on the head
of Charles Dickens’ ghost
protruding from the grave
of the green recycle bin. “Just leave it,”
I say. “Christmas will be here in no time.”
The Mailman and I stand on the curb
enjoying our repartee. Meanwhile,
the Marborg man on a mission scowls,
“Yes or No?” I concede,
“It’s all yours,” pleased to think of
my tree’s mulch nurturing
a stranger’s garden,
and we wave off the past
as if it never happened. At my age,
Oh Happy Day!
Perie Longo (Santa Barbara Poet Laureate 2007-09) has published four books of poetry, her latest Baggage Claim, as well as poems in many journals. She teaches poetry at the Santa Barbara Writers conference as well as privately, and facilitates writing poetry for bereavement at Hospice.
