Holidays: Duplicity
Under The Floorboards
Dawg
80% off everything you need
pepper spray the shoppers
to satisfy the festive greed
alcohol and nicotine just to make it through
the madness and the family feuds
Peace on earth, goodwill to men
a lone star over Bethlehem
family dinners and gingerbread
cherishing the warmth instead
Grumbling as I wrap the gifts
knowing not a single soul will remember this
blinking lights tangled in a mess
another shot of whiskey to ease the stress
Holiday greetings with a smile on their face
a warm glow filling up the place
mistletoe and icicles glimmer in the light
fireplaces crackling on the cold winter nights
Mall Santas pushing another sale
heavy metal bands singing about holidays in hell
canned carols blaring in my ears
everyone complaining how they loathe this time of year
Return to the essence of what it’s meant to be
ignite the night with joy and revelry
gaze into the eyes of someone you love
believe in the hope sent from above
The pressures of the marketplace growing too hard
I curse every Rudolph stuck in their yards
they’ll be disappointed when they peek beneath the tree
and find that Santa didn’t bring them that Xbox or Wii
Forget about the getting and give what you can
celebrate the joys in the life you live
look to the future, remember the past
live each moment, life vanishes too fast
Children scream watching commercials on TV
“I want this, I want that” is all I ever hear
embrace the fleeting moments before they fade to nothing
sit in quiet solace and savor the time of year
I can’t grasp this duplicity
between meaning and act
families bickering
with words they can’t take back
Yet I hold within me
hope for better days
caught between the essence
and the reality of holidays