I wrote this poem in 2017. Please look for the prose I wrote for this poem titled; Will Christmas Ever Find Them.

Let us not forget those struggling this season and reach out to the hurting.

Wanda and I still talk about this one Christmas; I think it was forty-four years ago. We lived in an old house on Ellis Street in Milan. I had been laid off since November, and my unemployment checks barely paid the bills. On top of that, our car was down. We woke up on Christmas Eve without money for presents or a tree.

That morning, a friend called me and asked if I would help him demolish an old shed for twenty-five dollars. I ran to his house and turned that shed into a burn pile with a sledgehammer in less than an hour.

When I got home, Wanda wanted me to walk to the Dollar General on Main Street and buy presents for our two sons. At the time, Steven was five, and Jeremiah was one. We had our meal planned with one of those canned hams, french fries, and mac & cheese. But we still didn't have a Christmas tree.

The sun was slowly setting while I was walking home from my Christmas adventure downtown. On the corner, across the street from our house, is the bottom part of a Christmas tree. Somebody had bought an enormous tree, cut the amount they wanted, then tossed the rest of the tree into the street. I made sure the coast was clear and then snatched that tree up, running straight into the house.

After Wanda stashed the presents, I grabbed the tree's top branches, tied them to a hook in the ceiling, and then put an old coffee can on the floor to steady it. We began to decorate the tree with what we had. Strings of popcorn, paper chains, colored pictures of Santa, and a star made from a Captain Crunch cereal box covered with aluminum foil. For lights, I hung a flashlight with duct tape from the top of a doorway to shine a light on the star with moonlight through the window.

To this day, it's the most beautiful Christmas tree we've ever seen.

May you find Joy in this beautiful season!

Have a great day, and God bless.
mike

You need to login or register to write reviews. It's quick! We only ask four questions to new members.