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A Christmas Present

By December 21, 2015 December 25th, 2017 No Comments

Rich kid, B&WPhoto provided by Getty Images.

 

NOTE: I wrote the following poem some years ago. I go back to it every Christmas, read it, and I kind of like it every time I read it again. It’s a simple poem. I want to share it with you just in case you might kind of like it too. By the way, y’all have a merry Christmas, you heah (I’ve lived in Texas for more than twelve years now. I still don’t talk that way, but I kind of like it). ¡Feliz Navidad!

 

A CHRISTMAS PRESENT

 

Not a gift would make him happy, not a toy,

Not the brightest of all gold, not the greatest story

Told, not the richest of all riches, not a diamond,

Not a stone, not a thing would give him joy.

He had parents, but they weren’t by his side.

He had helpers, many helpers, but their age was

Not his kind. He had friends, but they left the

Boy behind, waving hands that said good-bye.

 

He had no one, not a soul, not a peer to share the

Ride. To help him live, to help him cope. To help

Him dream and thrive. Not a soul to lend a hand.

To pretend. No true friend to listen to his cry.

Both his parents worked, for they wanted to climb

High. To buy the things they liked, to show their

Might. To rise above the crowd, to flaunt their

Height, topping every meager cloud in their flight.

 

But, on a day, a time reserved for Santa to bring

Gifts, to climb down and up the chimneys, a

Man who called himself Saint Nick, told the boy

His mom was tricked by her Savior the past night.

“She’ll be a mom again,” loudly said the jolly man.

“She’ll have another son. To play with you, to fill

The home with joy.” The boy, who stood alone, did

Not believe the sight. He told the man to go away.

 

“My little boy,” Saint Nick replied. “A lot of

Boys today need the things you need. Our world’s

Gone astray.” Incredulous, again, the frightened

Child shut the door. Saint Nick had more to say.

“Your mom will stay at home, to be your mom, to

Your brother to be born. She’ll have to change, be

Always by your side. To give you love, to listen to

Your cry. To lend the care that only moms provide.”

 

AUTHOR: Pedro Chávez