It’s Christmas Day and everyone has finished
eating firsts and seconds and,
in an unnamed person’s case, fourths.
There’s something about the dinner table
spending a day in the living room
that adds a level of chaos to conversations.
A man with glasses who shares my blood says
Elvis Presley served him fish and chips last week.
A teenager who is 100 years old and shares
a wall with me trusts and believes him.
She’s laughed at for 25 years
until I look at my son with eyes
I hope will be brave enough to trust and believe.

© Carl Burkitt 2020