Monday, December 10, 2001

THE NIGHT BEFORE XMAS

'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.
I'D COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE WHO IN THIS HOME OF STONE PLASTER DID LIVE.

AS I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE.
NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG SOME PICTURES OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

AND MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBERING THOUGHT CAME RACING TO MIND.
THIS HOUSE WAS SO DIFFERENT, SO DARK AND SO DREARY,
IT HOUSED AN OLD SOLDIER, THAT I SAW CLEARLY.

THAT SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN HIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
HIS FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM SUCH MESS,
HARDLY THE WAY I THOUGHT SOLDIERS WOULD DRESS.

WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I HAD READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I KNEW THAT THE FAMILIES I'D SEE THROUGH THE NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO SUCH SOLDIERS -- THOSE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD, OUR CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD ENJOY A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
THEY ALL OWED THEIR FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
TO SOLDIERS, LIKE THIS ONE, LYING RIGHT HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP THINK THAT MORE LIE ALONE,
ON COLD CHRISTMAS EVES IN LANDS FAR FROM HOME.
THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I KNELT BY THE SOLIDER AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;
I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, HE'D SLEEP AND I'D WEEP.
I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL
WE SHIVERED IN SILENCE FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE THAT COLD AND DARK NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
"CARRY ON SANTA, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

This poem (edited by this website) was reported to have been written by a Marine stationed in Okinawa, Japan. The following is his request. "Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit to due to our U.S. service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed."