Poems for Advent 7

for my daughter Jessica

Christmas Concert

for Martin Burne's Year 3 class

circa 1989

At 7 o'clock tonight

beneath

a dusty cross of ceiling fan

turning back to us

the baked day's air

a late hot summer sun

is in the south-west corner window

of two temporary wooden classrooms

and directly in my face

watching from the front row

my daughter sing and dance

and speak her practised lines

for Christmas-

with stars in her eyes.

Jeff Guess