The sea-swell of holiday shoppers rolls
Along the icy sidewalk. On every block,
The bell-ringers, God bless them! Where do they all come from
With their silver trumpets, their fancy uniforms and jubilant caroling?
My father gives ten dollars; I give a dime.
Outside the fur stores, protesters sit cross-legged
In metal cages; they hold up signs
“Remember” as barrel-chested policemen
Shoulder through the crowd.
My father says that if we are vegetarians then we shouldn’t be wearing leather,
I tell him that I’m not that kind of vegetarian.
Finally we arrive at his building, in the warm air.
The doorman grins like a stone pillar.
CRA
12/11/2006
9/19/2007