Christmas Neighborhood
By Amarylis Douglas
December rain taps the streets of the city.
A cat runs out from under a stoop, where
someone has left him a tin of food.
Outside the bar on 21st, two girls
sit on two metal chairs, chained to a table,
making plans for the evening.
A gray-haired man stands outside Trader Joe’s, holding a sign.
His eyes are blue and shy.
A pretty girl sets up her sleeping bag in a doorway.
The water runs clear down the corner and drains into the water garden.
A young man sits with his feet on the rail
of his second-floor balcony, rocking
back and forth, playing his mandolin.
The Chinese restaurant across the street is noisy, serves huge plates
of Chicken Lo Mein, and is open all night on Christmas Eve.
Amarylis Douglas lives in Vineyard Haven. Her book “The Fellowship of the Rain” was published in 2020. Her writing also appears in “Pathways Arts” and in “Our Place: An Anthology of Berkshire Hills Poets.”
Poets with a connection to Martha’s Vineyard are encouraged to submit poems to poetlaureatemv@gmail.com. Please include a two- to three-sentence bio.