Christmas Gri-Eve

Christmas Gri-eve!

©-MFB III

Fecal stained drawers
marked the spot,
on his wheelchair,
where they pulled
his frail flesh free,
then casually tossed it
on a morgue stretcher,
on his last Christmas eve.
No one had come to visit him,
again in this, his 10th season
at the Rock a Bye Bye nursing home.
No family, or church do-gooders,
sharing hugs and candy canes.
Just death, bringing him
the gift of sweet oblivion,
that he had been begging for
"So long!"

Not even a manger to grace
this tiny baby's head,
freshly emerged from
the spastic contractions,
of a fifteen year old,
squatting over a
filthy toilet bowl,
in a local Mobil station.
Just whimpers and
groans as she waits,
impatiently to hear
the splash from just below
her once wanton loins
relieving her at long last
of this dreaded Christmas curse.

No common bond between
the over fed white man in red,
and the little boy from the ghetto,
who'd waited in a long line
at a fancy mall the school
took everybody to,
that was far, far away
from the projects he knew.

Just a pale faced Santa
unlike anything the boy
had ever dreamed of,
and no I-pod or new Schwinn bike
or any new, good paying job
for his dear momma,
just two oranges,
one candy bar,
and a 25 cent coloring book,
come Christmas mourn.

Christmas passes
over so many souls,
folks who fall short,
of all its blessings.

Just beyond the dark shadows
of the many colored lights,
and the tinkling bells rung,
reside the victims of lesser gods,
many destitute, or alone,
struggling through
this season of peace,
some board the rapid,
in a slow ride to a
two bedroom apartment,
where they will face
seven hungry mouths,
with nothing much
to fill them with.

Remember this
when you mock
the true traditions,
of Christmas
as you suckle the caramel
from those rich
chocolate bon-bons,
plucked out of that
o v e r s t u f f e d stocking,
above your yuletide
fire's burning.

Then perhaps you will
"Marry Christmas to reality"
come next year,
which will in turn
greatly improve
your giving unto others
and allow you to finally recieve
the true blessings
of this holiday we often
love to hate.