4 DECEMBER ADVENT OF THE BLACK SANTAS
‘WE DECIDED IT WOULD BE POETIC IF EVERYONE GOT BLACK SANTAS’
CHRIS KENNEDY HAD RECEIVED A NASTY NOTE
COMPLAINING ABOUT THE NON-CAUCASIAN NATURE OF THE INFLATABLE SANTA CLAUS
OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE IN LAKEWOOD NR LITTLE ROCK ARKANSAS
THE WRITER RECOMMENDED
HE TAKE HIS YOUNG FAMILY ELSEWHERE
TO BE WITH THEIR OWN KIND
MANY RESIDENTS DISAGREED
THEY VACCINATED THE ENTIRE AREA WITH NUMEROUS BLACK SANTAS
WHICH POPPED UP IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE KENNEDYS
AND INOCULATED THEM AGAINST RACISM
WHEN HE SAID ‘POETIC’ NEIGHBOUR CHIP WELCH (70)
MAY HAVE INTENDED THE WORD ‘JUSTICE’ TO BE UNDERSTOOD ALSO
BUT PERHAPS ‘POETIC’ IS SINGULARLY SALIENT
IN POINTING TO A POET’S ABILITY
TO TACKLE THE TAWDRY WITH TRANSCENDENT LOVE
YIKES! DID I REALLY SAY THAT?
WISHING WE WILL SOON BE VACCINATED AGAINST ALL FORMS OF CYNICISM YOURS TRULY THE NEWS POET
