Ode To An Artificial Christmas Tree Poem by Sidi Mahtrow

Evening –

To some its beautiful
Standing there
A mass of twisted wire
Embracing plastic needles
Long since going bare.

Pulled from the attic
In its well worn box
Assembled carefully
From bottom to top
Until it looks quite like
A real pine tree.
(At least that's what
Its meant to be.)

Graced with strings
Of lights and garland,
Without end,
Carefully strung
With clips to suspend.

A bit of tinsel from years past
Kept straight and true
In a paper clasp
Now strewn
A handful at a time
Until the tree
Begins to shine.

With careful planning
The tree is placed
In a protected place
So that nothing can
Cause it to be displaced.

Morning –

Something's amiss
About the Christmas tree
There's something
In the branches
That wasn't meant to be.

Nestled carefully
Amongst branches far
From the floor
Is a present
That wasn't there before.

A bit of black fur
Close to the trunk
Clinging there
As if Santa had
Come and hidden it there.

While gifts
Carefully packaged
Are underneath
The old plastic tree
This is something
Else to see.

Magellan has once again
Discovered HIS tree
And claimed a spot
Just like in years before
When he came to see
Christmas as a time
When family gathered round.
There in the boughs was
His place to be found.

When you look
You'll find him there
Nestled amongst the branches
Without a care.

But like all things
That have long since gone,
So is Magellan
Who has passed along
Still, memory
Serves to reward
Those who have
His Christmas shared.

In the Artificial Christmas Tree.