Holiday’s End

Holiday's End, a brief affair,
Cheer still lingers in the air,
A time of full bellies and hearts,
A world apart from daily starts.

Christmas is a fading ember,
But we’re pretending not to remember.
The world's softer, for a time,
Before the climb, before the grind.

Is this what we are, truly?
When the world's not being unruly?
When debt and hunger is stayed,
Do we find humanity’s real shade?

Holiday’s End, my friend,
When pretenses suspend,
Maybe that's when we truly see,
What it means to be truly free.