Christmas Morning

Early Christmas morning,
Streets were silent and deserted.
The normal weekday bustle
Had been quietly subverted.

The supermarket sign that boasted
“Open every day”
Revealed its lie, for darkness was
The sum of its display.

The stands that peddled Christmas trees
Had vanished, in a snap,
With not a branch or pile of needles
Left behind as scrap.

A lonely taxi cab rode by
While scouting for a fare,
But no potential passengers
Appeared on streets laid bare.

The corner deli beckoned;
Coffee seekers grabbed their fix.
The bagel store invited,
Adding breakfast to the mix.

But mostly in Manhattan,
Like a ghost town in the west,
The population stayed at home
On this, a day of rest.

So even if this holiday
Is not one you observe,
It’s nice to slow things down
And sample life outside the curve.

A merry Christmas, everyone –
Leave all your stress behind;
Tomorrow this will seem a dream
As we’re back to the grind!