“Brief Reflection on Killing the Christmas Carp,” by Miroslav Holub

Today’s poem turns its blue eye on the mallet, the knife, the purse, the paper, the watchers, and the chimneys and Christmas, and quickly says something.

It’s snowing now and probably will be again all afternoon, but, weather permitting, I’ll be reading again tonight at Pioneer Village’s “Old-Fashioned Christmas” in Worthington, MN.  Snow poems, winter poems, Christmas and New Year poems from 6.30-7 in the Small Church.  (Click here for directions to Pioneer Village and an interactive map of the village.)  I hope you’ll come.

This poem is in Miroslav Holub’s book, Poems Before & After(Bloodaxe, 2006).  I found it using, and read it from, the Poetry Tool on the Poetry Foundation website.