T’WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
\n\tHE LIVED ALL ALONE,
\n\tIN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE,
\n\tMADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.
\n\tI HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY,
\n\tWITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
\n\tAND TO SEE JUST WHO,
\n\tIN THIS HOME, DID LIVE.
\n\tI LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
\n\tA STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
\n\tNO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
\n\tNOT EVEN A TREE.
\n\tNO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
\n\tJUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
\n\tON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES,
\n\tOF FAR DISTANT LANDS.
\n\tWITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
\n\tAWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
\n\tA SOBER THOUGHT,
\n\tCAME THROUGH MY MIND.
\n\tFOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
\n\tIT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
\n\tI FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
\n\tONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.
\n\tTHE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
\n\tSILENT, ALONE,
\n\tCURLED UP ON THE FLOOR,
\n\tIN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
\n\tTHE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
\n\tTHE ROOM IN DISORDER,
\n\tNOT HOW I PICTURED,
\n\tA TRUE BRITISH SOLDIER.
\n\tWAS THIS THE HERO,
\n\tOF WHOM I’D JUST READ?
\n\tCURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
\n\tTHE FLOOR FOR A BED?
\n\tI REALISED THE FAMILIES,
\n\tTHAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
\n\tOWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS,
\n\tWHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.
\n\tSOON ROUND THE WORLD,
\n\tTHE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
\n\tAND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE,
\n\tA BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
\n\tTHEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM,
\n\tEACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
\n\tBECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
\n\tLIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.
\n\tI COULDN’T HELP WONDER,
\n\tHOW MANY LAY ALONE,
\n\tON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE,
\n\tIN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
\n\tTHE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT,
\n\tA TEAR TO MY EYE,
\n\tI DROPPED TO MY KNEES,
\n\tAND STARTED TO CRY.
\n\tTHE SOLDIER AWAKENED,
\n\tAND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
\n\t“SANTA DON’T CRY,
\n\tTHIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;
\n\tI FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
\n\tI DON’T ASK FOR MORE,
\n\tMY LIFE IS MY GOD,
\n\tMY COUNTRY, MY CORPS..”
\n\tTHE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
\n\tAND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
\n\tI COULDN’T CONTROL IT,
\n\tI CONTINUED TO WEEP.
\n\tI KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
\n\tSO SILENT AND STILL,
\n\tAND WE BOTH SHIVERED,
\n\tFROM THE COLD NIGHT’S CHILL.
\n\tI DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE,
\n\tON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
\n\tTHIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR,
\n\tSO WILLING TO FIGHT.
\n\tTHEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
\n\tWITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
\n\tWHISPERED, “CARRY ON SANTA,
\n\tIT’S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE.”
\n\tONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
\n\tAND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
\n\t“MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
\n\tAND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.”<\/p>\n
This poem was written by a Peacekeeping soldier stationed overseas.
\n\t
\n\tThe following is his request. I think it is reasonable PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favour of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to all of the 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. Please Share.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
T’WAS 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":20384,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[255,231],"tags":[],"geo_market":[],"class_list":["post-31440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-michael-keelan-and-leith-forrest","category-show"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n