Literary
The Holiday Anthology: The Christmas My Hands Cannot Hold
By Ashley Yucamco
December 22, 2025
1-min read
Copyread by Wynce Sanchez
Literary
The Holiday Anthology: The Christmas My Hands Cannot Hold
By Ashley Yucamco
December 22, 2025
1-min read
Copyread by Wynce Sanchez
Figures on screen.
Currency drifts, my palms stiff.
Worlds bought without me—
I stand empty-handed.
Voices thread pixels.
Faces warm, celebration.
I nod, I hold nothing;
Joy belongs elsewhere.
Coins I never keep.
Letters sealed, edges worn.
Tree dressed in light—
I linger, walls silent.
Carols pierce distance.
Tunes foreign, unclaimed.
I whisper, hollow—
An outsider, always.
I press the screen close.
Their eyes shine; chest tight
I give all,
Take nothing home.
Night waits again.
Hope jammed in pockets.
Christmas slips past—
I remain, shadowed.
“Merry Christmas,”
Whispered to the dark.