the hard-pressed holiday dater

nothing exposes a settler like the glowing x-mas tree on a clear night in a cityscape.

all the glitz, glam & gluttony

that comes with this time of year

in our overstuffed, overwhelmed,

neon-light-extravaganza-empire

provoke through the television screen

on the streets, in the restaurants, in the

parks, in the stores, in the warmest of places &

the coldest,

a sense that one must be attached to another

to frolic with the fishes

to be capable of anything close to happiness.

 

so like clockwork,

desperation piles in &

those who might never have settled for such

ridiculous company,

turn over a new leaf (regardless of whether they are

really sincere to themselves about the whole thing)---

what follows is a series of dates that

hold none of the importance that a relationship which

might of spontaneously ignited

with a growing interest from both individuals

culminating in an explosion of

newness & beauty

which may very well flourish into any number of

positive things---

these dates fulfill their obligations

they help the making of appearances at family functions

they ensure a conversation piece (no matter how dull)

at any number of parties or public gatherings &

quite possibly they might keep said individuals

seemingly warm through the winter months.

 

but when the new year has rung in all the bells & whistles of

reality,

and after valentine day’s capitalist pounding takes its toll

the side-effects of the holiday dater’s submission to such a

desperate move become apparent &

everything soon crumbles when the spring months begin to

show the face of freshness

riling even the most committed

to look elsewhere for that burst of energy---

soon the december to may is traded in for a

may to

december.