Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Poet's Corner: "The Second Life of Christmas Trees," by Mark Perlberg



Here’s a poem to ponder as you drag your festive fire hazard of a fir tree out to the curb this year:

The Second Life of Christmas Trees
By Mark Perlberg

In frozen January, my friends and I
would drag discarded Christmas trees
from the sidewalks of our shivering town
to an empty lot. One match and fire
raced down a dry sprig like a spurt of life. 
A puff of wind and the pile ignited,
flamed above our heads. Silk waves.
Spice of pitch and balsam in our nostrils.

We stood in a ring around the body of the fire—
drawn close as each boy dared,
our faces stinging from the heat and cold,
lash of that wild star burst on a winter night.

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