A Christmas Poem
She once made footprints in the snow
with a frozen deer hoof the dog brought home,
and left a piece of red felt on the andiron
where Santa snagged his coat.
Oh the delight on their faces
those years she reigned.
From room to room
they followed her like ducklings,
their trust so pure
it could bring her to tears.
What wouldn't she have done,
what didn't she do,
for them?
She hates the holidays now.
Jean Ryan, a native Vermonter, lives in coastal Alabama. Her work has appeared in a variety of journals and anthologies. Nominated several times for a Pushcart Prize, she has also published a novel, Lost Sister. Her debut collection of short stories, Survival Skills, was published by Ashland Creek Press and short-listed for a Lambda Literary Award. Lovers and Loners is her second story collection. Strange Company, a compilation of her nature essays, is available in digital form, paperback and audio. https://jean-ryan.com/