I am not fooled
By the glitter
Which conceals
Their sadness
In sparkles

Or a shimmer
Of pasts
Hung on branches
Where yesterdays
Dangle like weights,

Such tears held down
Falling heavy
Along evergreens
Lighted
And garnished

As these decorative
Tombs
Bearing keepsakes
Remembering times
Better spent –

Our glass orbs
Hanging
With photos
Besides colorful bulbs
Feigning solace

Since ghosts
Inside
Rare mementos
Remain present
In glows they reflect.

Can we truly
Forget
Who is living
Letting phantoms
Carry those trinkets,

If holidays come
Just to suffer
What wrath
Every legacy
Yields?

Some prefer
Forgetting again
Though running
Hardly
Means winning.

My winter
Accompanies feelings
Warm
Yet cold
All the same.

• J. Pigno