Christmas Stockings
I
Nigh ev’ry sock I’ve ever worn
Was gift to me on Christmas morn–
A fact the mind should quick embrace
Since stockings hang from fireplace
__On Christmas morn.
II
A naked sole in summer’s heat
Gives easing breeze to fevered feet.
But, in the winter’s chilling brrrrr,
A woolen sock is de rigueur.
III
One’s agéd socks, in time, expose
Some wear upon the heels and toes.
‘Tis well for those who smartly darn
A stitch of thread or knit of yarn.
IV
But, if the hose be truly torn,
Awake the day the Child was born,
And peer beneath the glittered tree
To see if waits some socks for thee
__On Christmas morn.
Epigram On An Old Ball Cap
O ancient cap, so firmly set
Upon this fast-denuded pate,
Whose band is brined with years of sweat;
Whose brim is weathered, much a’frayed;
Whose strap is fixed in rusted clasp
Unyielding to a weakened grasp.
Yet, be my shield from blazing sun
And bracing rain by stiffened cloth;
Let not thy button come undone
Till I thy crown must lastly doff;
Then pray thy eyelets gaze upon
The heavenly realm that waits, anon.
eyelets: air holes near the top of a baseball cap
Joseph Stuart is a lawyer living and practicing in Northern Virginia. His blog can be found here: https://mightyinditers.typepad.com/hereunder/
You’ve envigorated what otherwise could be prosaic subject matter, making socks and a baseball cap compelling and entertaining, Joseph. That’s a great gift.
Thanks for the reads.
My relatives gave either socks or hankies! Your poems were entertaining.
I regularly got underware at Christmas from my dearest great aunt. Couldn’t get excited for some reason. But these pieces of yours are mature poems of praise for humble but oh so useful articles. You’ve given me thoughts about my worn, but still worn, steet shoes and boots. Thanks for your thoughts.
These were great! I’m not balding (yet) so I gravitated more towards the stocking poem. I have plenty of socks that are little more than ankle wraps now. Holey stockings is a great Christmas metaphor.
The Lord cares for each soul, He
is God’s Son, so He solely
is pure and wholly holy,
so He can darn what’s holey.
These are funny, Joseph! I’m surprised they are not listed in the “Humor” category, as well as “Beauty, Culture, Poetry.” “Christmas Stockings” provides a warm-hearted touch in memories of Christmas mornings past and in anticipation of Christmas mornings to come. With “The Old Ball Cap,” you have us covered in fun from head to toe.