[Mb-civic] Fw: The night before Christmas!

[Harold Sifton]

This was forwarded to me, I would like to pass it on.

H



: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 12:53:27 -0500
>>>
>>>>    'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    PLASTER AND STONE.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    AND TO SEE JUST WHO
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    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 PICTURES
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    A SOBER THOUGHT
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    CAME THROUGH MY MIND.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    SILENT, ALONE,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    NOT HOW I PICTURED
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    A CANADIAN SOLDIER.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    THE VERY THOUGHT
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    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,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    I CONTINUED TO WEEP.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    SO SILENT AND STILL
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    WHISPERED,"CARRY ON SANTA,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, 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 was written by a Peace keeping soldier stationed overseas. 
>>>> The following is his request. I think it is reasonable . .
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>PLEASE. 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 is due to our 
>>>>Canadian 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.
>>>
>>
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