The dark horse of the alphabet,
it can stand for the Christ in Xmas
or indicate the female chromosome.

It can mark the spot, this letter
derived from the Phoenicians
(the letter samekh—“fish”),
borrowed by the Greeks (chi),
two crossed strokes, which
the Romans used for
the number 10.

All this in an X,
uncorruptible even by
the wealthy and powerful.

Though I love best when
I see it appended to a note,
handwritten by a loved one,
or typed in a hasty email:

XOXOXO

the kissing X,
the hugging O,
the quick dash of affection
a la tic-tac-toe
like a kiss brushed on a cheek
a blessing

like this one I send to you.