I Remember

I awake on a chilly Christmas morning

Watching choirs singing carols on TV

I gaze out through my window at a dozen other windows

Then I plug in my artificial tree

And like a dream I begin to remember every Christmas I used to know

A thousand miles away, a million years ago

I remember sky.

It was blue as ink,

Or at least I think

I remember sky

I remember snow, soft as feathers, sharp as thumbtacks

Coming down like lint

And it made you squint when the wind would blow

And ice like vinyl on the streets

Cold as silver, white as sheets

Rain like strings and changing things

Like leaves

I remember leaves

Green as spearmint

Crisp as paper

I remember trees

Bare as coatracks, spread like broken umbrellas

And parks and bridges, ponds and zoos

Ruddy faces, muddy shoes

Light and noise and bees and boys

And daaaaays, oh!

I remember days or at least I try

But as years go by, they're a sort of haze

And the bluest ink isn't really sky.

And at times I think I would gladly die

For a day of SKY!