GREETING CARD FACTORY HARLEM, 1951

The jerry-built contraption

was topped by a sifter that

sprinkled sparkling crystals

down upon the glued

sections of beard, eyebrows

dangling gray hair

 

making up the Santa who

smiled from folded cards

over which rolled a map

with rubber cutouts corresponding

to beard, eyebrows and hair

affixing stickum in all the right places.

 

The Santas paraded along the conveyor

fresh glue glistening, snow crystals clinging,

to the end of the line where I sat

dreaming of other places, other games as

I stacked and boxed the endless stream.

 

Gerald Harris

February 16, 2015