Viewing a photo in which
he sits with a grandson
looking over a book filled
with colorful exotic animals,
the old man’s first thought
is that he must lose weight

but the little boy is smiling,
delighted to have spotted
the Peruvian Ant-Eater
before his grandfather did,
and not at all concerned
with double-chins or waistlines.

Let us be gentle with ourselves at Christmas,
remembering only that which truly matters.

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A few notes: (1.) You may have noticed that I posted a poem last week but took it down within a few hours. After reviewing the poem, I decided it wasn’t ready to be released. It has the making of a good poem and so I will revise it and try to get it posted again soon. (2.) Happy Thanksgiving! My father died over Thanksgiving weekend in 1988 and the holiday can still be difficult for me. I have posted poems about my father several times in this blog, including here.

Joseph Neely, all rights reserved.