The Tree is stripped, the decorations gone

Christmas is over for another year

And life can settle down without the fear

Of heartburn or hangover.  Now upon

The mantlepiece the bills replace the cards

And overdraughts are balanced as the weeks

Of winter drizzle trickle on in aches

More psychological than real. Towards

The end of January Burn's night holds

A glimpse of hope in the surrounding gloom

And plans for Valentine's, which all too soon

Will fill our shops, help to offset our colds.

            How strange that after all the preparation

            Christmas warrants such scant observation.

Brian Hick 8.1.09

©copyright Sally Hick Jan 2022