Rounded Rectangles is a design column that runs every Tuesday on MacLife.com. This week's Tuesday is Christmas, however, the one day of the year when nobody wants to read about awesome technology and the ways Apple finds to make it special. So while we aren't normally in the habit of publishing poetry, we humbly present the following for your consideration:

'Twas last night at MacLife,
And all the presents looked nice
Like we'd been good boys and girls,
(And even Santa had checked twice.)

As we sipped on our frapps,
And installed a few apps,
We sat and waited for Susie
To put a gift in our laps.

But before the first bit
Of wrapping paper was ripped,
We heard a crash and a boom
From the back conference room.

We popped up quick together,
And wondered if whether
There was a chance it could be 
Eight you-know-whats and whoever

We stood still and sincere,
As we each strained to hear
The "ho-ho-ho" of a fat man
Or the hooves of reindeer.

But our hopes were misled,
Our guest didn't wear red.
He wore a black buttoned shirt
And blue jeans instead.

As we all strained to look
At what caused us to shook,
We saw a familiar face:
Apple CEO Tim Cook!

"I have a lot to say,"
He said, and reached in his sleigh,
"But you know the rules,"
and handed out NDAs.

We filled them out quick,
Hoping we wouldn't miss 
The best gift we could get
From Cupertino's St. Nick.

Our heads filled up with glee,
Would he talk Retina screens?
Or new iPhones and iPads,
Mac Pros and TVs?

What he said, we can't list
(Or else cease & desists)
Let's just say you're in store
For surprises and twists.

So save some of that cheer
(You'll know why when it's here)
Just trust when we tell you
It will all be made "clear."

There'll be adjectives plenty
And lots of accolades when he
Unveils the next biggest thing
(And it's not a new telly.)

He told of OSes and such,
And iScreens you can touch
And iWork, Pro towers
(But perhaps we're saying too much.)

He borrowed something from Steve
As he packed up to leave:
"There's just one more thing
To exclaim on this eve."

He smiled broadly and flat,
And said, with a tip of his hat,
"Merry Christmas to all,
And I'm sorry for Maps!"

Find Michael Simon on Twitter or App.net @morlium.