decorated trees
nineteen years till sixty-two
makes forty-three trees
some artificial, most real
bought from hardware stores
tree lots and charity drives
colored lights, white lights
blue and white, variations
different most years
coordinated glass balls
some years red and gold
other years blue and silver
some years all colors
ribbons replacing garland
tinsel-icicles
then came icicles of glass
fuzzy teddy bears
and painted wooden snowmen
victorian hearts
my boys' handmade ornaments
made from egg cartons
popsicle sticks and paper
made by little hands
pictures of boys in lockets
in front - side by side.
topped with a star or angel
each year beautiful
now I decorate alone
I pick out the tree
haul it home and stand it up
I water the tree
come New Years I take it down
decorations stored
they are in their boxes now
up in the attic
should I go and get them down?
for whom? just for me?
who would be disappointed
if there was no tree?
if tree forty-four was not?
a wreath on the door?
candles on the windows' ledge?
a Christmas cactus?
enough to mark the season?
or perhaps a tiny tree
wooden toys and train
to bring in the Christmas joy
sixty-three and one more tree.
12/2013
