Outside the local supermarket in
my small town, Salvation Army
volunteers sit beside the Red Kettle,
ringing their red bells, playing
recorded Christmas carols.
Mostly older, they work their shift,
wait for a replacement,
greet neighbors, chat with friends.
 
In Midtown Manhattan in early December,
 the Army deploys a different vibe,
two young people, on a busy street corner,
boom box blaring hip-hop music.
In red costumes, they dance
with wild athleticism, sing loudly,
attract lots of attention.  They call out to
strangers walking by, urging them to give.
 
The elderly volunteers with their tinkling bells
would be swallowed up in the street noise of Manhattan.
The cacophony of the hip-hop duo would cause
consternation at the entrance to Vons.
 
But the generosity of the season lives everywhere.


© by Juliane McAdam.
Used with the author's permission.