Corona played its card today
Right from the start
All plans abandoned
On the day prior to Christmas Eve
Because friends from my relatives
Got the virus —

        I wasn’t that keen on Christmas celebrations anyway
        But it would have been my choice
        If I’d said: No
        I’m not coming —

On the morning of Christmas Eve
Though I’m standing
On my own window
Tea cup in hand
Watching people walking by —

        One man caught my eye
        Bottle of beer in one hand
        Mobile phone in the other
        Bright red jacket on his upper body
        Shaking legs on the downside
        He was just standing there
        Eyes and fingers firmly on the screen —

For a quarter of an hour
I forgot to drink my tea
Instead I watched him
And thought about his Christmas Eve
Instead of mine —

        Where did he went
        When he finally moved on?
        Got himself another drink?
        Forgetting that he was standing alone
        On Christmas Eve?
        Or meeting up with drinking pals?
        Getting into a fight with them
        Over who’ll drink the last beer? —

There are other people though
Stuck in their Christmas routine
Those rituals they do
Year after year
Without thinking any more
There are wrapped packages
Dressed up children
A stressed father
One yelling mother
They clearly carrying the Christmas spirit
With them —

        Christmas could have been better this year
        Not that commercially overloaded
        More about other people
        Caring about them
        Listening to their needs
        Calm
        Just a little calm —

What has changed
When I’m watching those people
From my window
On Christmas Eve?

        Nothing
        At all.

        © Dominik Alexander / 2020