NOT SO MERRY

A very Merry Christmas for some
Has a tinge of the bittersweet
For others.
Lonely
Melancholy
Anything but Merry!
With only
Grief
Like a thief
Leaving them
With memories
Of loved ones past
For company
Nothing ever lasts.
So they withdraw
Within
Without
The will
To celebrate
No crackers to be pulled
Or craic to be had
Just pictures on the wall
To help them recall
What their life was like
Before it fell apart
Maybe a new start
Is around the corner?!

Then there’s the family still here
Yet living so far away
Fighting on the front lines
Of hospital wards
Dodging bullets
And battlefield mines
Protecting us from
Viruses
And the violent thrusts
Of power hungry men
Or their offspring
Or siblings
Who’ve simply moved abroad
In search of a better life
New job, new beginnings
Husband or a wife
All, through call of duty
Are reduced to video calls
And chats in zoom
In war zone tents
Isolation in empty rooms

Then there’s the homeless man
Bereft, like the poem less man
Without a poem or a home
To stir his soul
Warm his bones
Call his own
Laying on the streets
Staring at their feet
In abject poverty
And weary defeat
Holding a half empty coffee cup
To ashamed to even look up
Wishing that their luck
Would change.
Isn’t it strange?
Isn’t it odd?
But for the grace of God
Go I.

Let’s think about them today
As we go upon their merry way
Do we even give a damn?
As we tuck into our turkey and ham
Drink too much and argue
Over whether Covid is a scam!
Didn’t get the present we want
Maybe, we should remember
That this month of December
Can paralyse and render
Some of us useless
A blubbering mess
Wallowing
In solitary duress
Christmas isn’t so merry
In fact it can be scary
Leaving some of us wary
Of letting anyone in
Remember them
Look out for them
Reach out for them

FREEZE TIME

Wish that I could’ve frozen time

Halted it completely in its tracks

Made it that the bells wouldn’t chime

That you wouldn’t fade to black

Wish I could’ve wrapped you

And your fragile little frame,

Stooped in humble service

Like a perpetual prayer,

up in cotton wool

In bubble wrap

In my arms

Breathe fresh life

Into your lungs

But cancer had set its trap

Aggressively it had struck

And your body slowly wasted away

To mere skin & bone

As if you were made to atone

For some ancient sin

You’d buried deep within

A thought I scarce can entertain

For it would stain

Your memory

Your legacy

You were too pure

Too gentle

For this earth

Hope you find the peace

You’re looking for

To make your sacrifices

Worth.

 

Wish that I could freeze time

Halt it completely in its tracks

Get a marker & draw a line,

Across which you cannot pass

For fear that you might get older

Grow up too soon

Lose your childlike innocence

For you’re too young to shoulder

Such burdens.

If that makes any sense.

Put together your very own

Wardrobe to Narnia

Where you’ll never grow old

Or succumb to disease

Where you’ll never be told

What to do

Or have to appease

You’ll sit on the throne

Guided by the great lion

And rule your kingdom

With kindness and compassion

Love and wisdom

Strength & dignity

For the whole of your life