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The Sunday Poem  is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work.

Erren Geraud Kelly reads his poem at its conclusion.

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Coastal Elite from Halifax, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

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Christmas for Bachelors

charlie brown tree foreshadows
my life, i leave the holiday to kids
but a jazz album plays on youtube
and i imagine dancing with someone

i imagine, bringing her home to
mama, not caring if she is liked
maybe indifference will
keep her around, even if she is
pure as snow
her smile will wrap my soul
in dreams

everyone deserves to be loved

even crass commercialism
leaves
me indifferent,
even a gift fails to
make me smile,
the way she could

the day belongs to Jesus, anyway

i think of the last Christmas we were
all together, when mama beat cancer
i didn’t care about gifts, didn’t care
about dinner, didn’t care that her
charlie brown tree sat in a corner

we had each other, we had life
we had the joy only peace gives

i imagine tracing her shape in snowfall
as a charlie brown christmas plays

 

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Listen to Erren Geraud Kelly read his poem

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Erren Kelly is a three-time Pushcart nominated poet from Boston whose work has appeared in 300 publications (print and online), including Hiram Poetry Review, Mudfish, Poetry Magazine, Ceremony, Cacti Fur, Bitterzoet, Cactus Heart, Similar Peaks, Gloom Cupboard, and Poetry Salzburg.

Click here to read “Under Quarantine” — COVID-era poetry of Erren Kelly, published by Jerry Jazz Musician

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Listen to the Vince Guaraldi Trio (Guaraldi, piano; Fred Marshall, bass; Jerry Granelli, drums) performing the instrumental version of Guaraldi’s composition “Christmas Time is Here” 

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Click for:

The Sunday Poem Archive

More poetry on Jerry Jazz Musician

War. Remembrance. Walls. The High Price of Authoritarianism – by editor/publisher Joe Maita

“The Sound of Becoming,” J.C. Michaels’ winning story in the 70th Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest

More short fiction on Jerry Jazz Musician

Information about how to submit your poetry or short fiction

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Jerry Jazz Musician…human produced since 1999

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