'Twas the Night Before Christmas (in Chicago) by Wyl
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the town
All the drunkards were singing, there was nary a frown.
And the bottles were flung into the street without care,
With knowledge that street-sweepers soon would be there.
And the trixies were letting the drinks get to their heads,
Without thought to how they were going to get back to their beds.
And the noise was fading, so I pushed the cat out of my lap
And tried to settle in for a nice Chicago nap.
When out from the street there arose so much laughter,
So I leapt from my futon to see what they were after.
Away to the window, but I fell like the snow
And sprained my ankle, and stubbed my big toe.
The streetlights reflection off of the grey colored snow,
Shined like diamond on the scene below.
Why, what to my tired and bagged eyes should appear,
But a homeless man stumbling and drinking a beer.
With a long white beard, and red coat so thick,
I thought, with a laugh, that he looked like St. Nick.
The yuppies still cat called and made many jokes,
And in their cruelty I pitied the bloke.
“It’s Christmas” I though, and contemplated my choices
And made one with resolve as I heard their shrill voices.
I ran to the fridge, and found the leftovers,
Chinese food and a fork, and some chocolate from Stover’s.
So out from my 2 bedroom apartment I flew,
But I had to turn back to put on my shoes.
The bros had scattered, but their words hung in the air,
But when I caught up to the man, he seemed not to care.
I presented him my food, and the chocolate too,
And his red face got more rosy as he said “thank you.”
He was dressed in rags, from his head to his foot,
And they were all dirty and tarnished with soot.
His worldly possessions were hung on his back,
And in his left hand, he held a glass flask.
His eyes were a bit glazed, and he spoke with a stutter,
And you could tell by his posture that he slept in a gutter.
His droll little mouth was missing some teeth,
And the few that he had were sharp like a beast.
The butt of a cigarette he held with his gums,
And the smell of it all made my nostrils go numb.
He looked malnourished, but still had a belly,
That shook when he laughed like a big bowl of jelly.
And for a man so downtrodden and poor,
He was jolly and happy, and something still more.
A wink of his eye, and a tug on his ear,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to fear.
He reached into his pocket, and pulled out something round,
And into my hand, a gold watch I had found.
He then lay a finger on the side of his nose,
And giving a nod, up from the ground he rose,
I stood in still silence, amazed at the guy,
And watched as he disappeared into the sky.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he flew out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”
All the drunkards were singing, there was nary a frown.
And the bottles were flung into the street without care,
With knowledge that street-sweepers soon would be there.
And the trixies were letting the drinks get to their heads,
Without thought to how they were going to get back to their beds.
And the noise was fading, so I pushed the cat out of my lap
And tried to settle in for a nice Chicago nap.
When out from the street there arose so much laughter,
So I leapt from my futon to see what they were after.
Away to the window, but I fell like the snow
And sprained my ankle, and stubbed my big toe.
The streetlights reflection off of the grey colored snow,
Shined like diamond on the scene below.
Why, what to my tired and bagged eyes should appear,
But a homeless man stumbling and drinking a beer.
With a long white beard, and red coat so thick,
I thought, with a laugh, that he looked like St. Nick.
The yuppies still cat called and made many jokes,
And in their cruelty I pitied the bloke.
“It’s Christmas” I though, and contemplated my choices
And made one with resolve as I heard their shrill voices.
I ran to the fridge, and found the leftovers,
Chinese food and a fork, and some chocolate from Stover’s.
So out from my 2 bedroom apartment I flew,
But I had to turn back to put on my shoes.
The bros had scattered, but their words hung in the air,
But when I caught up to the man, he seemed not to care.
I presented him my food, and the chocolate too,
And his red face got more rosy as he said “thank you.”
He was dressed in rags, from his head to his foot,
And they were all dirty and tarnished with soot.
His worldly possessions were hung on his back,
And in his left hand, he held a glass flask.
His eyes were a bit glazed, and he spoke with a stutter,
And you could tell by his posture that he slept in a gutter.
His droll little mouth was missing some teeth,
And the few that he had were sharp like a beast.
The butt of a cigarette he held with his gums,
And the smell of it all made my nostrils go numb.
He looked malnourished, but still had a belly,
That shook when he laughed like a big bowl of jelly.
And for a man so downtrodden and poor,
He was jolly and happy, and something still more.
A wink of his eye, and a tug on his ear,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to fear.
He reached into his pocket, and pulled out something round,
And into my hand, a gold watch I had found.
He then lay a finger on the side of his nose,
And giving a nod, up from the ground he rose,
I stood in still silence, amazed at the guy,
And watched as he disappeared into the sky.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he flew out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”
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