Christmas Tree Lots

By Chris Green Chris Green
Christmas trees lined like war refugees,
a fallen army made to stand in their greens.
Cut down at the foot, on their last leg,

they pull themselves up, arms raised.
We drop them like wood;
tied, they are driven through the streets,

dragged through the door, cornered
in a room, given a single blanket,
only water to drink, surrounded by joy.

Forced to wear a gaudy gold star,
to surrender their pride,
they do their best to look alive.

Source: Poetry (December 2001).

 Chris  Green

Biography

Chris Green has placed poems in Tampa Review, Poetry Ireland Review, Rhino, and International Quarterly. He earned his Master's degree in British and American Literature from the University of Utah and now teaches at Columbia College in Chicago.

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Poem Categorization

SUBJECT Nature, Religion, Winter, Christianity

Poetic Terms Metaphor

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Originally appeared in Poetry magazine.

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