A Christmas Carol
Christmas begins in summer.
Carol sees the first signs,
the cards and wrap and tat
that appear every year
in furtive corners of shops.
She sees sly little toys play
on the TV and,
soon after halloween,
they are all over
the screen and seen
by the bairns.
And now the toys
play with all their hearts.
The must-have one,
the toy of the year,
every one of them
more than the rent.
More than she has.
“It’s only a few quid,”
Carol tells herself.
“It’s only a few quid,”
says the lending friend,
who is anything but,
until the day
Carol has to pay,
when the few quid she owes,
plus their unhealthy interest,
is more
than all that she owns.
When the friend has taken
what is due,
and anything else they want
from her,
she still owes the friend.
And now the friend
owns Carol.
Writing Me Up 