A Pauper's Winter Solstice

Arguments and charity gifts. Rings pawned Christmas Eve-eve to buy us bikes, plastic toys we’d forget, clothes that weren’t in style. A long night. Quiet fights that grew loud and spilled over into Christmas day. Sore fingers from popcorn garland needle pricks that I couldn’t ignore. And still hope that it would be better next year. 

Evergreen no more. 

The pine tree now withers 

in Post-Christmas snow.