By Malachi Edwin Vethamani

Our Christmas Eve 

Giving at Christmas 
peaks on its eve. 
Days have gone by
preparing the festive
cakes and palagarams. 
All labours of love. 

And on this day,
we, the children brim
over with excitement 
as the day snails
towards evening. 

The long-picked
new clothes right down
to socks and shoes 
call out to be worn. 
We have little thought
on Appa's hard-earned
wages spent on them.  

Amma and sisters 
begin the age-old tradition
of sending trays filled with palagaram 
to our kampung neighbours. 
Sharing our happiness
as they had done theirs.

Tray after tray is filled. 
We are family emissaries 
spreading Christmas joy
from our homes
to other homes. 

Festive trays are received 
and never returned empty.
Often, a token gift,
a few coins, even ringgit notes,
pressed into our small hands
that had carried the trays.  

Before the streetlights bloom
this year's sharing
of palagaram with our neighbours
is done. 

Soon, the jingling coins and folded notes
in our pockets are tallied. 
In the spirit of Christmas, 
there is some sharing 
to even out the 
monetary gifts that
slightly enrich us.  

The evening slips away
and our kampung house
is all dressed up and lit. 
A Christmas-star lantern
lights up the front
of our home
and the lights on our
Christmas tree radiate 
red, green, yellow and blue. 

Christmas Eve is almost done. 
The day's excitement has not worn us out. 
Our thoughts now turn to our presents 
and Church service on Christmas morn. 

One Christmas Morning

The smell of curries
and familiar kitchen sounds
of Paati, Amma and my sisters
have awakened me.

My younger brother already about
caught up with his presents
opened at midnight by the Christmas tree
has no time for me. 

Annan has switched on the gramophone
and Pat Boone sings carols  
that he’d be home for Christmas
though not my sister, away in a distant land.

The smells of curries and ghee rice
waft through the house
guests will arrive, 
but not yet. 

Appa’s come back
his bicycle still laden with the day’s newspapers
offices closed for the holiday
deliveries can wait another day.

A brother’s in the bathroom,
another awaiting his turn
soon we’d all have bathed
and dressed in our Christmas best.

Ready for church,
a quick walk away.

Malachi Edwin Vethamani is a Malaysian Indian poet and writer. His poetry publications include: Life Happens (Maya Press, 2017) and Complicated Lives (Maya Press, 2016). His edited volume of poems entitled Malchin Testament: Malaysian Poems (Maya Press, 2017) won the Best Book prize in the English Language category for the Malaysian Best Book Award 2020 organised by the Malaysian Publishers Association. His latest publication is an edited volume of poems entitled Malaysian Millennial Voices (Maya Press, 2021). His poems have appeared in various literary journals. He is Founding Editor of Men Matters Online Journal.  

Banner image is by Jeswin Thomas and downloaded from Unsplash.com