‘Twas December, two thousand two;
Christmas, of course, and my main thought -
Decking the halls on Tye Avenue.
With a broken leg, I’m in a stew,
my house, the only bare spot.
‘Twas December, two thousand two.
Grandkids, my volunteer work crew,
tied my heart in a granny knot.
decking the halls on Tye Avenue.
Porch lights strung, manger scene askew,
my approval, they earnestly sought.
‘Twas December, two thousand two.
Front window tree, last thing to do;
they attack it, never being taught.
Decking the halls on Tye Avenue.
Year to remember, grandkids, do you?
a Christmas I have never forgot.
‘Twas December, two thousand two;
Decking the halls on Tye Avenue.
December 28, 2020
contest: Deck the Halls (Villanelle)
sponsor: Joseph May
The morning arrived, the morning of days,
The biggest, greatest day of my life.
I laid out my work suit, from the tie to the shoes,
And then I kissed my beautiful wife.
Trousers done tight, my flat ironed shirt,
Woolly, warm socks covering my feet.
And I slid both of them into both of my shoes,
My laces would make me complete.
Till then I used a binding, loopy, granny knot,
Often coming loose, slipping to undo.
It occurred a reef knot would hold tight all day long,
Hold my foot tight inside of my shoe.
So I changed in that moment, for the rest of my life,
I now stride high with a skip and a song.
My shoelaces are reef knotted, not a flimsy insecure,
Staying tight for all the day long.
For contest Something Seemingly Insignificant and Unexpected Changed My Life - Poetry Contest, June 2016