Christmas Vacation

I remember watching that movie with you the year we separated It was just released on VHS and for some God Forsaken reason we rented it together on Christmas Eve at your place You had come upon this crown molded apartment in an antique house I leased a Formica townhouse thirty miles or so down the road Neither one of us wanted to be alone so we got together out of some pragmatic separation etiquette on Christmas Eve. That flick is really funny a classic contemporary distraction that continues to un-clot future strokes so you can eat more turkey skin. I liked the part when Cousin Eddy emptied the RV ter into the storm sewer You liked the part when it ended, and Jesus when it ended, I choked up over the credits while you were in the kitchen asking if me if I wanted another beer, which I didn’t…and usually do. Did you know that Christmas Vacation didn’t have a soundtrack of its own even with all the classic tunes and the great original title number Which I always recall with the credits closing that night for some God-Forsaken reason So now I’ve said “God Forsaken” twice No three times in one poem even though I’m an Agnostic now with very little saint left in my nick Fa La La La La and Ho Ho Ho Jingle jangle jingle as we go Let the spirit of the season Carry us away….. The static fuzz flashed us by that night as we contemplated sleeping together which we didn’t.