First, the husband’s truck disappeared,

then his mattress, a moving van

hauling off all his belongings

and those of his children under

cover of darkness just one week

before Christmas, in their absence

as many lifeless bodies strewn

about the front lawn, Santa Claus,

Rudolph, and Frosty the Snowman,

deflated yard blow-ups, faces

buried in the green grass, lights out,

saying nothing, their crumpled forms

still tethered to a once-happy home.

Robert Fillman is the author of House Bird (Terrapin, 2022) and November Weather Spell (Main Street Rag, 2019). His next collection, The Melting Point, is forthcoming from Broadstone Books. He has received prizes from Sheila-Na-Gig online, Third Wednesday, and The Twin Bill for select poems. He teaches at Kutztown University.