Remember 2019
Anticipate 2020

Yes,
Yesterday, we found a duck.
Not a wild one or even a fresh one,
Merely a frozen slab or
Some pale avian
Raised in the wilds of
Indiana Amish country.

But it is a duck, granted,
substituted
For a wild goose,
Chosen by default.

At least, It’s not a “turducken”
One of the Cajun
Marketing ploy birds
Impossible to bred,
Hybrided only in a
Warped MBA’s brain.

Lucky we were able
To brave, then survive,
Torrential rains to fill
Our holiday larder.

Of course, it required
Meeting and combating
The Cranberry Dilemma,
Another repacking ruse,
Four ounces less for same
Price, making past recipes impossible
To convert,
Unless you use clementines
Instead of big, juicy oranges.

Anathema to a real chef
On second thought, let’s try it.
Along with white gravy
Concocted with
A mammoth parsnip

Menu still unclear,
Let’s refocus on the decor.

Tree or not?
With 23 acres of nature’s best
Walnut, Poplar, Locusts , Elms,
Why cut one of these or a
Stately pine.

How to decorate
Santa’s mechanical band.
Find a crèche.
Not much else.
No reason.

For
We have the best of everything.
We have each other.

Charlene James-Duguid
Amissville, Virginia
Completed 12/4/19

“No, I don’t want to be an astronaut,
Or travel along with hobbits.
I don’t want to dive in the deep blue sea,
That’s for sure.”

Determined, the tyke adjusted his hood,
Brushed off his parka and headed for the door.

“Where are you going young man,” his mother
Asked calmly, careful not to disrupt the story
About to grow by creative leaps and bounds.
Knowing there was perfect logic in this
Recent adventurous episode.

Other sons take the easy road,
Hers would not. His plan, already well-formed
Would open a door to understanding words, thoughts,
And, of course,emotions,

“You’ll get lost Thomas, in the cold and snow.”

“No I won’t, I know how to read tracks,
How to find my
Way back.
Alaska is my goal, the tundra.

Grandpa taught me.
I listened.”

Charlene James-Duguid
Amissville, Virginia
November 5, 2019