Season’s Greetings

I post the cards across the fridge as they
arrive. Most show a photo in a frame —
the sender’s children on a special day,
perhaps grandchildren, sender, spouse, the same
configuration as the year before
except when weddings, births, or deaths have made
a difference. There are hugs and smiles galore,
the young have grown, the middle-aged have grayed.
Each image shouts, “Behold! Our bond is strong!” —
enough to pose, that is, with all on best
behavior since three snaps should not take long.
I stash one card, or two, and toss the rest
soon after Christmas. First, I marvel at
how much a friend from college loves her cat.

Jane Blanchard

Metes and Bounds is a collection of formal work written seven or eight years ago about various and often simultaneous challenges—medical, familial, societal, et cetera. Poetry can be a method of dealing with a difficult yet delightful world, of trying to make sense of things beyond the poet’s control. Optimally, the reader will empathize with the poet’s experiences (or those of assorted personae) and will attempt to poeticize his or her own.

Metes and Bounds is published by Kelsay Books, and is available from Amazon

If you have any thoughts about this poem or this publication, Jane Blanchard  would be pleased to hear them