Facing the Scrooge
by Katherine Hayes
The neighbor’s girl
Could have anything she wanted,
So I wanted too.
My imagination served me too well
When, really, anything would do.
But those catalogs always
Enticed me with their images
And every commercial bought me
Like most five-year-olds.
I wanted everything for Christmas.
But instead of tolerance—
The patience to let the urge pass—
You sat me down one fateful day
To put an end to Santa Claus.
You wanted to leave no doubt
That there would never be anyone
Who cared that much
And I could drop all of those
Childhood fantasies
And face reality like you.
Yet, you mocked your own words
Over the years to come.
Gift tags with “From Santa”
Appeared every year,
Past my thirties.
But the deepest impression was made
That same Christmas.
You stopped me on my way to bed,
Telling me to put out milk
And a slice of cherry pie
For the Santa Claus you had just denied.
I felt like a fool going through
The motions,
But you demanded it.
And in the morning, I opened
The refrigerator door
And saw that slice of cherry pie
Back with the rest on the plate
As if I was too dumb to notice.
I have never lost that sick feeling.
The mockery bore a hole in me
That has never healed.
About the Poet
Some of Katherine’s poems have been published in In The Company of Poets, The Writers Guide and Asian Collections as well as two other smaller magazines.