OUR LOVE IS AN ASSEMBLY LINE
 
Assembly lines push out Christmas wrapped in bulletproof plastic
     secured with nylon cable ties and boxed in glossy cardboard
          punched with copper staples.
 
In an office a man nervously punches numbers into a calculator.
He makes his way down the hall and announces,
     “We need more Christmas love. 
          We’re not pushing enough love.  Look at these numbers.” 
 
Great freighters move ghost-like across a dark and silent ocean.
Trucks move all unnoticed and casual-like,
     spreading the love across the countries.    
 
In a crowded mall we hear Alvin and the Chipmunks.
And as we shop we admire the giant Christmas tree, the 3-foot nutcrackers
     in the doorways, the brightly colored ornaments
          suspended from the ceilings.
 
And our hands are fluttering away from ourselves. 
 
"How about this one?"
"How about this one?"
"Do you think she'll like this?"
"Do you think this will fit him?"
"How about this?"
"How about this?" 
"How about this?" 
"How about this?" 
"How about this?" 
"How about this one?"
"How about this?" 
"How about this?" 
"How about this?" 
 
And when the gift is opened, someone, some machine,
some copper staple spitting machine,
will spit the words "Merry Christmas I Love You" and "Here's the gift
     you could have bought yourself."
 
 
This poem first appeared in Pennine Platform, #77 May 2015.