Tom Barlow

An Agnostic’s Christmas

I’m watching my wife
dress the Christmas tree
like she’s choosing clothes
to wear to a coronation

the tree lights sparkle in
beauty for any faith, or none at all
while the heart-shaped ornament
filled with a friend’s ashes

hangs between the Elvis bulb
and the fabric star my late
sister-in-law embroidered
and, oh, the tree is dying too

we pretend there is magic
to this one winter day, that peals
the bells crafted on the backs
of so many in need. Even the creche

on the mantle is wanting—we
haven’t unpacked the Baby Jesus
and the others yet— so the manger
sits empty and waiting
as do I.


Tom Barlow is a widely published Ohio writer of poetry, short stories and novels. His poetry has appeared in journals including Ekphrastic Review, Voicemail Poetry, The North Dakota Quarterly, The New York Quarterly and The Modern Poetry Quarterly. See more at tombarlowauthor.com.

Thank you for reading Vol.2, No.6!