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