— Xi misses central screening of Elf.
— How many letters?
— Just five.
— That quirky surface
Brings the scene alive:
Our Chinese potentate running late,
In, we might say, serious peril
Of missing an Xmas classic
Starring Will Ferrell
— And Zooey Deschanel, who’s not
Katy Perry, despite reports
To the contrary.
— Okay, how many letters in Jinping?
— Two too many.
— You’re right, it’s seven…
— But in Roman numerals Xi stands for eleven!
— Now we’re close,
I know we are!
— And yet that sixth letter feels
Impossibly far.
Shorter Poems 