Taking Down the Tree
Image created on Canva
How easily we put on and take off
the sparkle and shine. What it hides
was worth something, too, but today,
as the needles drop and scatter, and
tinsel clings to my robe, I pull and tease
the fakery from the dry branches,
careful not to dislodge glass and crystal,
bits and balls, years of smiling figures,
to be carefully stored, then dusted off one
year from now, give or take a week or so.
I wind the plastic glitz around my hand,
bundle it up, and toss it in the trash.
Need more great reads? Check out these offerings from our contributors and staff here at the MockingOwl Roost.
- Respites – Holiday Poetry
- Yule Dreams – Holiday Poetry
- Feast Bouquet – Holiday Poetry
- A Rose for My Love – Heartwarming Romance Fiction
- Time of My Life – Poetry
- Haiku – Poetry
- Aesthetic Love – Poetry
- Epiphany – Holiday Fiction
- New Year, New You – New Year’s Fitness for Creatives
- The Snow’s New Year Message – New Year’s Poetry
- In the Mediterranean at Midnight – New Year’s Romance Fiction
- Year of Hope – New Year Poetry
- A Deal is a Deal – New Year’s Dark Humor Fiction
Carlene M. Gadapee
Carlene M. Gadapee’s poetry and critical reviews have appeared or are forthcoming in many publications, including Waterwheel Review, Gyroscope Review, Smoky Quartz, Think, Allium, Vox Populi, and MicroLit Almanac. Carlene received a “Best of the Net” nomination in 2023. Her chapbook, What to Keep, will be released by Finishing Line Press in early 2025. Carlene lives in northern New Hampshire.
Find Carlene on Instagram.
