by Vernon Daim

The light on a December afternoon is cold.
It slices through the blinds of aged tenements
where on the wall you hear the graffiti screams.
The bus stop is deserted, littered with a confetti of
spent tickets, grease-stained takeaway bags,
empty lager cans and faded ATM receipts.
Flyers offering ‘a little bit of fun with Santa’
are pasted on the cracked screen.
A sudden explosion is heard in the distance as
a Big Issue seller wishes a whiskey-warm Merry Christmas
to passers-by overcame with the duty of gifting.
In cards or carols none of these are depicted.

Editor’s Note on Season’s Greetings:

Season’s Greetings is not Vernon Daim’s first work to appear in Eastlit. His previous published pieces are:

• Letters & Melaka appeared in Eastlit August 2015.
• Meeting by Chance was in Eastlit February 2016.