Christmas Vacation
I remember watching that movie
with you the year we separated
It was just released on VHS
and for some God Forsaken reason
we rented it together
on Christmas Eve at your place
You had come upon this crown molded
apartment in an antique house
I leased a Formica townhouse thirty miles
or so down the road
Neither one of us wanted to be alone
so we got together out of some
pragmatic separation etiquette
on Christmas Eve.
That flick is really funny
a classic contemporary distraction
that continues to un-clot future strokes
so you can eat more turkey skin.
I liked the part when Cousin Eddy emptied
the RV ter into the storm sewer
You liked the part when it ended, and Jesus
when it ended, I choked up over the credits
while you were in the kitchen asking
if me if I wanted another beer,
which I didn’t…and usually do.
Did you know that Christmas Vacation
didn’t have a soundtrack of its own
even with all the classic tunes
and the great original title number
Which I always recall with
the credits closing that night
for some God-Forsaken reason
So now I’ve said “God Forsaken” twice
No three times in one poem
even though I’m an Agnostic now
with very little saint left in my nick
Fa La La La La and Ho Ho Ho
Jingle jangle jingle as we go
Let the spirit of the season
Carry us away…..
The static fuzz flashed us by that night as we
contemplated sleeping together
which we didn’t.
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