day ONE THOUSAND and SIXTY FOUR

Ghosts of Christmases Past

I remember Christmas Eves

spent in emergency rooms

after loved ones overdosed

suffered panic attacks,

convulsed and hallucinated

from alcoholic withdrawals.

Holiday carols bring flashbacks

of Christmas Day burns,

cuts and bruises,

carving knife malfunctions

that resulted in stitches

or severed pieces of fingers.

Each year resurrects ghosts:

resentment, chest pains,

shingles, pneumonia.

All I want from Santa

is an uneventful Noel

without blood or drama.

--Jennifer Lagier