Central Committee Christmas Tree

After '56,
When the Party decided to draw a line
Behind its Stalinist past,
It rehabilitated some of its victims,
Expelled some its judicial murderers,
And undertook to strengthen its links
With the working class;
It also allowed a Christmas tree
In the Central Committee building.

Comrades explained that
The Catholic Church remained
A reactionary force allied
With imperialist and revanchist circles
And that the tree wasn't even Christian
Having originated in pagan times.

Connoisseurs of irony enjoyed the spectacle
Of a soi-disant progressive party
Reaching out to pagan beliefs.

Cynics recognized the claim
That the Church stole it from the pagans
And the Party will steal from the Church.