They cast perverted shadows upon walls
filling the empty streets with heavy footfalls

the neighbour's dog barks, the cat covers it's eyes
in the orphanage a new born suddenly screams and cries

glowing under the moon, skin milky and pale
arms knotted with muscle, fingers delinquent and frail

[they're out there after you
they know your name]

beneath balding scalps maggots wriggle and jive
mucus sticking to nostrils where dead flies hide -

[one look in their eyes
and you'll never be the same]

blind to all the adults, their evil nowhere to be seen
Boogeyman men of the modern era, suffocating children's dreams

they lurk at birthdays, stalk every Christmas Eve
damning every child that any woman may conceive -

inspiring infidelity with the tip of a hat

inflicting cancer with a killer rasp of their breath

they enter the unfortunate souls of their apostles
eating them inside-out until nothing's left -

squabbling and bickering amongst each other
instead of using words we descend into War,
alas these Harbingers of fear wait with bated teeth
for the protection of our faith to fully thaw

for where there is faith there is love
the only power in this universe true and pure
unconditional to a mother, devotional to a father
in every living heart it beats - of that I'm very sure

but orphans have nothing
to the Harbingers they're easy targets,
along with the countless number of homeless
eating from bins and begging at Christmas markets

so this year spare a thought for those out there -
prepare the Turkey, light the tree, do what you may

but please, please, don't delay the inevitable
for these people may not be with us another day.

#christmas