Mylar Bows: A Poem About Holiday Memories

Happy Holidays, whatever you celebrate! May your celebration be exactly what you want, and your traditions what you treasure!

Some family traditions of mine are more tolerated than enjoyed–like my family’s fondness for sticking bows to me. A few years ago, I ended up with a total of nine–nine!–bows stuck in a sort of necklace on my jacket.

Mylar Bows

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When I was small

I ripped into presents, paper flying everywhere

green and red

the thrill of discovery

worth more than the gift.

And my mom stuck a bow—

shiny mylar crown—in my hair.

Now I unwrap neatly

folding the remnants responsibly

for recycling

focused on the company instead.

Despite my dodging, ending after all

with a bow on my head

because to parents, you never grow up no

matter how old you are.