My hands are perfectly
steady when I start,
this isn’t such a memory
filled tree as many others were
but I have liked it the
best of all.
Soon, I discover, I cannot
remember where things go.
There are boxes with
little partitions for each item
and I am left wondering
what goes where.
Not the tear drops. I know them well
and only discover that I
don’t have enough
tissue padded slots for
each one, for each size.
The sixties worn ones have
spaces, I discover, but
there aren’t enough balls
any more.
I thought I Had bought
dozens of these old things
online, and they arrived weirdly
wrapped.
I remember that. The green and blue pepper
box, that takes some
finding as does the 4 top
box for the blue ribboned balls.
My hands grow shakey as
the dust flies around my head
I sneeze, I cough,
I drop balls, and they
fall like raindrops do
from grey skies outside
this morning.
The first few don’t
shatter, and I feel glad.
The rest plummet to the
wooden floor
not bouncing, not rolling
away, but exploding
into memory of the tree I
liked best of all.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
So lovely.
ReplyDeleteIt was. Thanks.
DeleteI'll start my round of where does this go tonight. I usually get the tree down New Year's Day, oops! Your tree was so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was. It was the plastic snowflakes that filled in the spaces and made it sparkle.
DeleteI hearing now from those who put up trees about the effort to take them down. I'm glad I didn't decorate this year. Nothing much to put away. Helped save my sanity.
ReplyDeleteA very dusty effort.
DeleteI hope nothing very, very precious broke!
ReplyDeleteNothing precious at all.
DeleteYou did great, they are all boxed.
ReplyDeleteI broke a bulb this year. The first in a long time. This year's tree was special because the grand's did it. I want the tree down fast and away. I don't like things lingering past their prime...LOL>
ReplyDeleteWhen memory becomes scary
ReplyDeleteIt's a heart breaker when the ornaments break.....especially the vintage ones. But...congrats on getting Christmas stowed away until next time when, if all goes well, THAT will be the best tree of all.
ReplyDeleteI did a purge of the Christmas decorations this year so that, if I am alive next year, the decorations are easier to access. Funny how I always think in terms of, if I am alive next year!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful how you captured the feelings of memories tied to the ornaments that are slipping away and sometimes breaking.
ReplyDeleteA lovely tree and observation Patti makes. I didn’t decorate this year — settling for some traditional live holiday flowers/plants. I still remember lovely ornaments on our tree from my childhood that my mother had to part with so many years ago.
ReplyDelete