Photography © Chad Parenteau

 

Christmas in 2024

the future takes hold and fills me up with snow.
they say it’s an unease with future—greedy eyes for greedy times
Santa Clause is orange now and the biggest grinch of all, his dog named Elon, rather a Cerebus or snake with many heads.

I hide

this is not what I want—I wanted pleasant time and company
but it’s a good time to be rich—a shitty time for the rest of us
there will be adjustments, the dog barked. get used to it.
half of us smacked our forehead with our Starbuck’s holiday cup, and locked in, I guess.

Some bought a car before it was too expensive, before the tariff’s took hold.
some miracles took place—if you can call cold blood a miracle; if you can call the frustrated millions who died in affectation before that justice AND a miracle

it’s always been a war
just not on Christmas.

 

Ari Whipple is a disabled nonbinary bisexual (how’s THAT for keywords?!) master’s student of Creative Writing with a focus in Screenwriting at Southern New Hampshire University. They also have a BA from Central Michigan University in Journalism. They have written several books including several poetry books (Full of Now, Psalm of the Psyche Ward, and Beachfront Property) as well as a memoir of their first manic episode (David Lynch is After Me), most of which can be found for free on their Ko-Fi. They love their cat and Lo-fi hip hop and hot cocoa (please come over and have some).

Chad Parenteau is Associate Editor of Oddball Magazine.