10

My ten-year-old cousin looks my way
"Do I have any more?" she asks today.
It's Christmas Day, and here she sits
A whimper away from throwing a fit
Surrounded by all of her unwrapped gifts
I could ignore her, not give a shit
But instead I turn, contemplating.
Does she have any more, she asked
Now waiting for a reply from someone to end her
Frustrating quest for things materialistic
Perhaps the best has been left forgotten,
but that's unrealistic
She sheds generosity like a cheater sheds lipstick
from his collar
Forgetting it existed, only cares about the dollars
Like a streetwalker on the hour, it's all about the
dough, not the climax
She's never told "no," and so she can't relax
Looks away, like Santa left something at the door.
"Do you have any more?" I say.
"I know you do.
Got clothes, got a warm bed, got a dad that loves you,
Got your gramma, your cousins, your uncles and aunts
Got no stains on your shirt, no holes in your pants,
Got jewelry, got toys, got plenty of food,
Got more gifts than most kids.
And I don't mean to be rude
But I'm glad that you don't know what it's like
To be hungry and cold, no place to sleep at night,
And you can't do your homework, cause you got no lights.
And you, of all little kids, should know better
Cause for you, it hasn't always been sunny weather
There's been Christmases all you got was one of
Gramma's sweaters
and you thought it was better than any Christmas
you ever had before.
So you ask, 'Do I have any more?'
Cousin, be reminded of the score
Today, acting like your shit don't stink
But years ago, when you had no water coming out of
your kitchen sink
You were much more grateful of the things you had."
And when I was done speaking, she looked so sad
But I knew, in a minute, she'd go right back to being
bad
Cause a 10-year-old can never appreciate what
she once had.