Artwork © Robert Fleming

 

Christmas Cheer

A long time ago, when I was young,
I studied catalogues, listing things
I hoped to receive on Christmas
and through the post office some,
as imagined or not, would arrive.

A few decades ago mail order died
and gargantuan stores displayed
tens of thousands of buyables
available for immediate ransom,
transport and closet concealment.

Just two hands full of years ago
The dinostores started dropping
and electronic displays lured me
into impulse click gratification
with next day delivery

The progression was logarithmic,
ever more and more expensive toys
tossed ever more quickly into disuse,
and I was more at peace I think
waiting two weeks for a two-dollar toy

 

Ed Ahern resumed writing after forty odd years in foreign intelligence and international sales. He’s had over 600 stories and poems published so far, and twelve books. He works the other side of writing at Bewildering Stories where he squats on the review board, and at Scribes Micro, where he’s the idle figurehead.

Robert Fleming is a digital artist and visual poet from Lewes, DE. His books are White Noir, an Amazon best seller and Con-Way in 4 in 1 #4. Founding/contributing editor of Old Scratch Press and editor of Instant Noodles.

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