Christmas – Present

It’s Christmas time again

And all around the world

Life goes on

Rich and poor in various ways.

Let’s look and see shall we?

There’s snow on the ground,

Dark and cold.

No sign of life

Nothing to cheer.

Wait.  There’s movement

A pile of cardboard boxes

A head sticks out

A child, blue with cold

All alone, waiting for the day

To try and beg for a bite to eat

Hoping to survive and make one more day.

Across the street a light is on.

Through the window we can see

A family gathered around

Eating their feast.

Plenty to eat and plenty to drink.

They’ve finished now.

Time for the gifts so expensive and fine

The remains of the food left to waste.

As across the street the boy cries

From hunger and pain.

The sun is up next day.

He never did see Christmas morn.

Sounds like a take from the past

 We’ve read it all before?

I wish I could say it is,

But, it is today

London, New York or Africa

It’s all the same

As when Dickens wrote his story

Of Ebeneezer Scrouge and poor Tiny Tim.

September 1996, North Acton, London, England.