THE CHRISTMAS SURPRISE

by Joanna Gilman Hyde

The Hawk Red Deck Chair 12:15pm

Oh My God! — That’s My Mother

Telling Me To Write This Poem

— It’s The Chickadees

flitting around The Scraggly Apple

telling Me to write down

what I did one Christmas

in Cooper Union —

I asked My Unmarried Economics Teacher

to be a Christmas Present

for My Mother

& He said Yes!

so I wrote Mom a note

for Christmas Morning

that a Man was coming to visit

He came to Christmas Dinner

in Valley Cottage

— My Grandfather was there too —

now Pappy, The Teacher, My Mother, My Brother

are all dead

but The Chickadee-dee-dees

are alive

& chirping