The Northville Review
an online literary journal
‘Tis the Season

Daniel Romo

The stoic man with the fake beard
Like bootleg cotton candy,
Stationed in front of Rite Aid
Swung a mean bell.

So mean I couldn’t tell
He only did it one month a year.

Waiting for my transfer to the 94
On my way to junior college,
I walked up to his red pot,
Nodded,
And dropped in
Thirty-seven cents.

The stoic man with fake beard
Like bootleg cotton candy,
Looked me up and down
And the second person retort
Went,
“You cheap mother fucker…”

And I stopped
Believing
In Santa.

About the author

Daniel Romo’s work appears or is forthcoming in Gargoyle, The Los Angeles Review, MiPOesias, Yemassee, and elsewhere. His first book of poetry, Romancing Gravity, is forthcoming from Pecan Grove Press. His second book of poetry, When Kerosene’s Involved, is forthcoming from Black Coffee Press. He teaches creative writing, and lives in Long Beach, CA. More of his writing can be found at danielromo.wordpress.com