Pigmas 2022-23 31 December

[RiverNotch]

On the seventh day of Christmas, the Pig Pen gave to me
seven stray hoofprints,
six postgrad students,
five diamond rings,
four fairy tales,
three French towns,
two bare fists,
and a lampstand nearly all lit!



I lost my last two grandparents this year. On that sobering note, let's recall Elmo and Patsy's Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, describing a peculiar holiday death.

[CRNDLSM]

Thanksgiving 2022,
Aunts and uncles cousins and friends
gathered together for a day of memories.
As the adults were readying the buffet
organizing the table wear, kids played games
the grandparents slept in their seats.

When all was set, everyone gathered to the table
except aunt Donna. Aunt Donna wasn't waking up.
Aunt Donna was dead. Of course it was awful,
of all the days and places and times.
They called 911 but it wasn't an emergency,
they were asked (because it's Thanksgiving
and police and paramedics were with their families)
if they could just wait.

So there they were, crying, eating turkey
crying, eating potato salad and sweet potatoes,
Crying, playing word games and watching TV
deciding they needed to eat aunt Donna's pie.
Aunt Donna dead just one room away.
It's what she would have wanted.

Happy Thanksgiving