Trees For Sale

2019 Dec 10


Trees For Sale

I wrote this during my final year, after many, helping to sell Christmas trees for a local business.

in the Eastern town sticks
on the side of one-twenty-six
there's a little house here
and only once a year
we gather like it's yesterday
working in the tried old ways
from PLUs to Tree Life mix
I only think of them in the sticks
all these traditional, repetitive, harmonized, competitive, wonderful, overwhelming ways
hands too cold to hold with all these kind, selfish, lovely, rotten people
celebrating in the American way (right under Uncle Sam's nose)
all the orderly chaos that is the Season.
the cynical retail mindset returns, three weeks slow
the holidays and the memories losing their glow
customers begin to remind me of cattle, coworkers of bees
as we sell our Christmas trees, orderly chaos, one sees
we're not so different. Life imitating life.
but you feel powerless against the politics on the radio
when you can't play office politics.
There should be no politics in the sticks.
In our yesterday ways, we should be simpler.
But we ignore the symbol of togetherness that we sell.



🐾