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