The alleys reek of *** and pine trees,
neon bar signs croon a
twisted Christmas Carol,
people grin, dragging bags of
anxiety and presents,
slamming doors behind them like
a drunk drummer boy.
I sit at the bar, empty glass, empty heart,
watching snow waltz across the
lonely sidewalk.
A twisted Santa staggers past,
bells jangling
like he’s calling the reindeer
home, lost and late.
Somewhere, a child's joy is ecstatic.
Somewhere, a man cries, eggnog-smeared,
remembering the wife.
The stars bring both together,
a tender lullaby across cities and towns,
beneath the jaded sky.
I *** a drink and raise my glass,
to broken hearts and bent spirits,
to busted ornaments and the nativity scene,
missing two wise men sitting on
the old record player,
to beauty beneath the grimy snow.
Well, it’s the season—
love and sorrow tied up in a
red bow for the night.
Dec 22, 2025
Dec 22, 2025 at 7:57 AM UTC
The alleys reek of *** and pine trees,
neon bar signs croon a
twisted Christmas Carol,
people grin, dragging bags of
anxiety and presents,
slamming doors behind them like
a drunk drummer boy.
I sit at the bar, empty glass, empty heart,
watching snow waltz across the
lonely sidewalk.
A twisted Santa staggers past,
bells jangling
like he’s calling the reindeer
home, lost and late.
Somewhere, a child's joy is ecstatic.
Somewhere, a man cries, eggnog-smeared,
remembering the wife.
The stars bring both together,
a tender lullaby across cities and towns,
beneath the jaded sky.
I *** a drink and raise my glass,
to broken hearts and bent spirits,
to busted ornaments and the nativity scene,
missing two wise men sitting on
the old record player,
to beauty beneath the grimy snow.
Well, it’s the season—
love and sorrow tied up in a
red bow for the night.
I just posted a new long-form reading on my YouTube channel — the first half of my short story Whoops! along with two poems, There Was a Time Without the Internet and Under My Bed.
If you’d like to hear the pieces read aloud, here’s the link:
👉 YouTube Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq0UTaJahjg
All my books are available on Amazon.
Thanks for reading and for all your support.
We have a Zoom meeting where a bunch of us get together on the last Friday of every month and read our poetry. I hope more people come. It's a blast.
— Thomas W. Case
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