POEM: Old man and the tree

The tree was weathered,

As was the man who decided to take it home,

Small in stature, frail and thin,

Both together they stood alone.

Three ornaments clothed its branches,

Each one placed with care and thought,

Each ornament stood for his grown children,

And his since passed away wife remembered in his heart.

The old man stood there,

Small in stature, frail and thin,

Holding on to the memories of long ago,

Treasuring them once again.

Small and frail the tree stood,

Holding the ornaments of those memories of his,

Getting him through just one more Christmas,

In the absence of his beloved wife and kids,

Together weary and frail,

Together holding something dear,

From mere ornaments on a small tree,

To the memories he hung in his heart every year,

The man stood there,

Postured in reverence in his reflections,

Paying tribute once again to his family this Christmas,

Through a small tree and its humble decorations.

SASHA FISHER

Coeur d’Alene