Sharing my COVID Xmas poem at the Poetry Super Highway Open Reading. I come in around the 18:00 minute mark.
The poem had its beginning in a strong negative reaction to a house's outdoor Christmas decorations. I walk by the house on my way to and from work, and it was always one of the commute's low points. The single string of red lights made it look like the leafless tree it was wrapped around had the measles. The single strand of snowflakes seemed out of proportion to the tree limbs it was strung between. The word Paltry came to mind; not an adjective I usually use to describe decorations.
I tried to free write my emotions about the unfestive Christmas lights, but nothing clicked and I set the idea aside. Then news of the Omicron variant hit just as the holidays arrived. I felt depressed by further evidence that COVID wasn't over yet, and I hated that family gatherings could cause a rise in case numbers. Writing the poem flowed once I had the So What? focus.
