Merry Christmas
Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas
sings Santa, from his sleigh.
‘Look, Mummy – there’s Santa,’
the little girl cries
at darkened skies.
Merry Christmas, the Mum thinks,
while she wraps up the gifts,
and prepares the lamb feast,
as her Mum would do.
As she must do.
Merry Christmas – it’s that time
of year is it not? It’s
time for lost I love yous
punched ten years too late.
I did my bit.
‘Merry Christmas,’ says the priest
at the lectern of guilt.
I bless Orthodox style,
watch you choke on
holy smoke while
taking those coins
to feed my
hunger and
stuff the ones
not here
they’re just
drug
f**ked.
‘Merry Christmas!’ chimes the retailer
in a tinsel decorated store of
glittery jewels and every kind of
doll with an abundance of
kitchen-wear to slice yourself up
and shiny plasma screens to
zombie your eyes with and
speakers to blow your
brain with and food to
stuff your tummy with
and gifts to spread
Christmas cheer with.
‘Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!’
sing the shareholders.
‘Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!’
smoke the head-honchos,
with sweaty hands of
hundred-dollar bills.
‘Merry fucking Christmas,’ cries the
faceless slave from China that
made your necklace for
5 cents to feed his family
a cube of bread
while you wear
your thousand
dollar branded
necklace and
feel
grand.
© Koraly Dimitriadis
First published on the Overland website 24/12/2009
Marc said,
January 5, 2010 at 5:58 am
“time for lost I love yous” I love that line, and it fits in so very well. People only seem to be able to say those words at certain times when it’s expected of them as opposed to when they actually feel.
I also like the retailer verse or paragraph or whatever it’s called (I dunno, I’m not a poet), it certainly seems that christmas is all about the retailer – shop till you freakin’ drop. Peace and love to all those with a credit card and screw everyone else.
Koraly Dimitriadis said,
January 5, 2010 at 8:19 am
Christmas depresses me. I hate doing xmas shopping because I don’t like what xmas has become.
Mark William Jackson said,
January 6, 2010 at 11:06 pm
I completely agree. The only reason I do Christmas is for the family gatherings. I like the no-holds-barred anger in this piece, ‘Merry fucking Christmas cries the faceless slave from China.’
Damn, I thought I’d gotten over my anger at the commercialisation of Christmas!
Koraly Dimitriadis said,
January 6, 2010 at 11:10 pm
It is a bit of an angry poem but I always get angry at Christmas time which is a shame because i shouldn’t be.