happy.

surrounded on all sides by family.
that's an enfilade.
check your military dictionary, neighbors.
we're reppin' the full-on maneuvering of
a rebellious renegade cadre in jack boots
(or holiday-appropriate high heels).
real talk.
there are kids everywhere,
and three family-style meals from three families
worth of family dinner,
all resting heavily in my bellyhole.
i'm full.
of holiday spirit an' that...
my heart is pretty full, too.
and my guts are fit to burst.
it's been a helluva few days in the nutmeg nuthouse,
and it's all been really real:
on the real, neighbors.
***********
everywhere, here AND there, neighbors.
the home fires are calling us,
and the long drive is daunting us,
and the passengers are getting ready to
'are we there yet' all the way home,
all whee-whee-whee like little bitty piggies.
the ground is dry, and brown,
the air is sharp and cold,
and the sound of shrieking little ladies
is nailing up the chalkboard in my ear canal.
there arose such a clatter, kids.
that's no lie.
*
families, and the spirits of giving,
and thought, and memory.
it's all really happening,
and there's still more to come.
tomorrow,
we head home to the great north woods,
the white mountains,
the wonderful world of school vacationland,
and to all the inherent goodness within it's borders.
today,
we kept the dmx in x-mas,
but tomorrow,
we bring the noise,
all the way to eleven,
and XI-mas!
merry 'mas to all, and to all a good night;
never quiet, never soft.....