Feliz Navidad

The 24th started slowly, such that you could hear a mouse
dropping a crumb of pan de bono on the third floor of the house
Before el Niño Jesus came on Christmas Eve
Laura, David and I cleaned the house spotless and asked the flies to leave.
It was quiet a task to prepare for the guests whose number exceeds a dozen
To cook the food required, we could have used another oven.
It is hard to explain the mix of exhaustion and excitement I felt
When Las Tías arrived from Mérida, laden with pasticho and dealt
A great deal of kisses and with great delay
trudged upwards where our music began to play.
The house, with red clay tile roof, rounded in fashion,
was where we put out the food of this family Italian,
and waited. Or at least I waited patiently
for this mass of people holding water and whiskey,
to feel urge to step out from the roof and into the rain
and get moving to music that I am sure would ordain
the perfect end to an evening after working so hard.
Indeed we danced and Bertha that woman, as always a card,
Threw her scarf about my shoulders and pulled my hand to her hip,
Then gyrated round, till she nearly tripped
Which time new partners danced along, I’m sure,
In such a felicitous round-about exchange so pure
The fire works blew from all the houses nearby
As we waited for midnight, December twenty five.

When the hour came the exhausted dancers to their places,
Trudged down again to the house still red in their faces.
The children opened their gifts on the floor
And I looked around at the new faces I adore
In these new people and future I've found in tabay
In the early morning of December twenty five.

Christmas itself was also divine,
A event to be certain that was not lacking wine,
Nor food nor mirth nor slides for the children
The rocks under which leave many still hurting.
The pasón from all this passionate fun,
Left many wishing it would only be done.
But the clown whose spleen had burst
Persevered to further augment our mirth,
And show that hard work makes it all crystal clear
That we had a merry Christmas and an equal new year…



¡Feliz Navidad!