ROBINSON ENDS UP ATTENDING MASS AT XMAS

by Kathleen Rooney

Aria. Luminaria. Ave Maria!

All babies are pretty when lit from above.

This evening's service is the Children's Pageant.

Robinson's aberrant for not having any.

Aloof & brooding: hedonist or anhedonist?

He rides the death drive. Steers clear of little ones.

Queer & queerer.

Some have speculated as much. That Ann's his beard.

But Robinson doesn't much care what you've heard.

Robinson's mother never let him write Xmas. It's like you're Xing out Jesus.

They're not even Catholic.

Post-college, post-Christ—how to believe now that he's educated?

The pastor keeps the homily short for the families.

Something something Those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness.

Something something about light, then Silent Night in German.

The biggest damper on holiday cheer is adulthood.

Robinson fakes like he has somewhere to go.

Snow cloaks the naked city: fragile. Brittle. The thin layer of ice on top of a drink.

St. for street or St. for saint?

Xmas lights on the fire escape makes escaping fires more festive.

The quip slips from his lips, though no one is listening.

Robinson stumbles up the sidewalk, humble as a manger.

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These poem are from a series based on the life and work of the poet Weldon Kees. Other poems from the series have appeared recently or are forthcoming in Notre Dame Review, No Tell Motel, Diner, Cimarron Review, Comstock Review, Little White Poetry Journal, SIR! Magazine and elsewhere.