By Anne Casey
We never had it
It was something you saw in the movies
old ones re-running on tv
that handsome couples
teasingly kissed under
Chaste tristes in black and white
like the pure white
berries of the mistletoe
But perhaps a bit waxen
Somewhat wooden
I remember my father laughingly
kissing my mother once
under a holly sprig
It seems more apt
So much more like love
with its pricks
and bright red shiny beads
“Christmas kisses” was first published in “The Irish Times” newspaper on 30 December 2016. This poem was also published in Anne Casey’s poetry collection, “where the lost things go” (Salmon Poetry, 2017).
Artwork: Ghost Garden (2010) by Jane Theau. Published with permission of the artist.