And then once again
for shameless things said
he was sent to bed,
no food in his belly
but a mark on his cheek
like a rose growing in snow.
And while he did not see
anything wrong with voicing
his thoughts on Mom,
he could not dwell
on the thought so swell
for a sharp rap on his window.
And he opened a crack,
looked out in the alley
to see a young girl
of years same as his
and though more dirty,
still very pretty.
And they started to talk
about parents, beatings,
and the throes of childhood
that are so many
when the girl said
I don’t have any.
And the boy,
as stupid as he was,
saw that this girl
had never known a Santa Claus.
Are you hungry?
I can sneak you some food.
And so he hurriedly
crept out of his room
almost tripped on a broom
and reached the kitchen,
opened the fridge,
and stole some stuffing.
And this was when
his mom got wind
of little feet making noise
the feet of little boys
and she got a bit leery:
the boy wasn’t in bed.
And as soon as the boy
reached back to his window
his mom was upon him.
She saw his actions
and swooped down in reaction;
he couldn’t even move.
kiss
And in that instant
the throes were lessened.