by Mark Weinrich

He couldn’t wait to open gifts
so he ordered them in piles by name.
I read the Christmas story nice and slow
with hope his energy would tame.

At last, when it was almost
too much for him to bear;
he read the labels one by one
with thoughtfulness and care.

He came to one, his mother’s gift
then stopped and slowly asked,
“What are all these ox, ox, ox’s?”
We laughed and laughed and laughed.

He looked at me, puzzled
like I’d given her a hundred head.
“Duh, it’s hugs and kisses.”
his older sister said.

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Mark Weinrich lives a creative life as a writer, photographer, musician, and artist—all wrapped together in an outdoorsman. He is a retired pastor and nine-year cancer survivor. His writing and photography have appeared in over 130 news stand, inspirational, and literary publications. He has sold eight children’s books and currently has two fantasy novels on Kindle.