My Ode to the Holiday

-By Karen Rowley

The mansion is empty,
The trash is all dumped
The kitties they sleep on the couch in a lump.
The tree, it still standeth
I can't say goodbye.
It just looks so pretty
That maybe I'll cry.

It's too quiet here.
Not much cleaning's been done,
With more things around
I remember the fun.
I've found a green boot
And a little toy soldier,
A ship in a bag
And some socks left to molder.

The snow mountain misses
The children's loud squeals,
The van that careened around on two wheels.
The kitchen's not crowded
There's still food galore
And right now there's nothing spilled on the floor.
No kids at the counter all drinking hot chocolate.
No Dads in the family room ready to Risk it.

So maybe I'll spend one more day in a trance
Remembering the children who did a fine dance
And the wild country fiddlin' and hootin' and yellin'
The puzzling and gaming and sick belly aching.

Now the children are happy in their own snuggly beds
And visions of summertime dance in their heads,
When once again there will be noise all around
And kidlets so numerous the mothers will frown
And say "are they yours? I'm not going to claim them!
It's way too much work just to try to contain them!"

So we'll let them go running and screaming outside
They'll laugh and they'll play and they'll slip and they'll slide.
Us grown-ups will sit back relax and watch movies
And phone for some Pizza.
Oh, it will be Groovy!