Decanting the Family
Through the Holidays
By Christopher Watkins

They pour through the door
 
with all the wild aggression

of a blood-crimson Cabernet
   cascading past the thin lips

of a glistening and primed
   fine decanter,

landing at our table—
 
voices splashing and breaking—

just as wine does
 
on the bubble at the base

of a decanter’s
 
fragrant belly.

With time, these sharp components
 
settle soft into the whole,

down the sides of our chairs,
 
into the warmth of a waiting meal—

camaraderie and community—
 
and the night takes on

the smooth, even-bodied
 
integration

of a perfectly aged blend—
 
a meritage of hearts and genes,

the sum of far more than its parts,
 
as any family is…

which is why, when they’re due in
 
for the holidays,

we decant our finest bottles
 
first thing in the morning.