Christmass is come and every hearth
Makes room to give him welcome now
Een want will dry its tears in mirth
And crown him wi a holly bough
Tho tramping neath a winters sky
Oer snow track paths and ryhmey stiles
The huswife sets her spining bye
And bids him welcome wi her smiles
Each house is swept the day before
And windows stuck wi evergreens
The snow is beesomd from the door
And comfort crowns the cottage scenes
Gilt holly wi its thorny ******
And yew and box wi berrys small
These deck the unusd candlesticks
And pictures hanging by the wall

Neighbours resume their anual cheer
Wishing wi smiles and spirits high
Clad christmass and a happy year
To every morning passer bye
Milk maids their christmass journeys go
Accompanyd wi favourd swain
And childern pace the crumping snow
To taste their grannys cake again

Hung wi the ivys veining bough
The ash trees round the cottage farm
Are often stript of branches now
The cotters christmass hearth to warm
He swings and twists his hazel band
And lops them off wi sharpend hook
And oft brings ivy in his hand
To decorate the chimney nook

Old winter whipes his ides bye
And warms his fingers till he smiles
Where cottage hearths are blazing high
And labour resteth from his toils
Wi merry mirth beguiling care
Old customs keeping wi the day
Friends meet their christmass cheer to share
And pass it in a harmless way

Old customs O I love the sound
However simple they may be
What ere wi time has sanction found
Is welcome and is dear to me
Pride grows above simplicity
And spurns it from her haughty mind
And soon the poets song will be
The only refuge they can find

The shepherd now no more afraid
Since custom doth the chance bestow
Starts up to kiss the giggling maid
Beneath the branch of mizzletoe
That neath each cottage beam is seen
Wi pearl-like-berrys shining gay
The shadow still of what hath been
Which fashion yearly fades away

And singers too a merry throng
At early morn wi simple skill
Yet imitate the angels song
And chant their christmass ditty still
And mid the storm that dies and swells
By fits-in humings softly steals
The music of the village bells
Ringing round their merry peals

And when its past a merry crew
Bedeckt in masks and ribbons gay
The ‘Morrice danse’ their sports renew
And act their winter evening play
The clown-turnd-kings for penny praise
Storm wi the actors strut and swell
And harlequin a laugh to raise
Wears his **** back and tinkling bell

And oft for pence and spicy ale
Wi winter nosgays pind before
The wassail singer tells her tale
And drawls her christmass carrols oer
The prentice boy wi ruddy face
And ryhme bepowderd dancing locks
From door to door wi happy pace
Runs round to claim his ‘christmass box’

The block behind the fire is put
To sanction customs old desires
And many a ******* bands are cut
For the old farmers christmass fires
Where loud tongd gladness joins the throng
And winter meets the warmth of may
Feeling by times the heat too strong
And rubs his shins and draws away

While snows the window panes bedim
The fire curls up a sunny charm
Where creaming oer the pitchers rim
The flowering ale is set to warm
Mirth full of joy as summer bees
Sits there its pleasures to impart
While childern tween their parents knees
Sing scraps of carrols oer by heart

And some to view the winter weathers
Climb up the window seat wi glee
Likening the snow to falling feathers
In fancys infant ******
Laughing wi superstitious love
Oer visions wild that youth supplyes
Of people pulling geese above
And keeping christmass in the skyes

As tho the homstead trees were drest
In lieu of snow wi dancing leaves
As. tho the sundryd martins nest
Instead of ides hung the eaves
The childern hail the happy day
As if the snow was april grass
And pleasd as neath the warmth of may
Sport oer the water froze to glass

Thou day of happy sound and mirth
That long wi childish memory stays
How blest around the cottage hearth
I met thee in my boyish days
Harping wi raptures dreaming joys
On presents that thy coming found
The welcome sight of little toys
The christmass gifts of comers round

‘The wooden horse wi arching head
Drawn upon wheels around the room
The gilded coach of ginger bread
And many colord sugar plumb
Gilt coverd books for pictures sought
Or storys childhood loves to tell
Wi many a urgent promise bought
To get tomorrows lesson well

And many a thing a minutes sport
Left broken on the sanded floor
When we woud leave our play and court
Our parents promises for more
Tho manhood bids such raptures dye
And throws such toys away as vain
Yet memory loves to turn her eye
And talk such pleasures oer again

Around the glowing hearth at night
The harmless laugh and winter tale
Goes round-while parting friends delight
To toast each other oer their ale
The cotter oft wi quiet zeal
Will musing oer his bible lean
While in the dark the lovers steal
To kiss and toy behind the screen

The yule cake dotted thick wi plumbs
Is on each supper table found
And cats look up for falling crumbs
Which greedy childern litter round
And huswifes sage stuffd seasond chine
Long hung in chimney nook to drye
And boiling eldern berry wine
To drink the christmass eves ‘good bye’

The old man sits on the park bench.
He feeds the birds.
He plays chess with an old Navy Buddy...

Memories shared with tenderness to valor
of the yester year that become fussy and *****,muddy.

Flashbacks to the battles fought.
Families built on foundations of their own family names.
Defining the future of the grandchildren and children.

Humor adds to clear the pain of a lost yesterday.
As the elder whipes a misquito flying from near his ear.

Stories in the fashion of "Forrest Gump." brings color
as crowds listen in the park.

To listen to the wisdom of those who helped shape their "today"
Intrigued by their topics, they fail to leave, they pull up a chair and stay.

The two chess playing elders sharing whimiscal tales of old...
Scrolls of the writings of confus of fortunes fortold come to light
as people become warm through listening to great memories
and avoiding the void of connection which was the cold.

You my friend for you I fear your ship is sinking and land is nowhere near

Your ship is old and rather worn the air blows through, for your sails are torn

I hope you know where for repairs to seek for your chances of living are looking quite bleak

The water is deep up to your knee
The repairs cost a lot, a pretty hefty fee

But now I will explain to you, your crew you should know them they're all but new

This man is Eager he steers your boat
That's why for so long you were afloat
He steers in the way where his eyes seize And thats why for you sailing was a breeze

This man is Lie and this man is Hate
they both happen to guard the gate

In case you were wondering its the gate to your heart and they make sure to gaurd every last part

But also you know this is gate number two this gate gaurds Truth, he's locked up too

Every once in a while you let Truth out
But when you do he begins to shout
He shouts at your crew and all the evil they brew

This man is ******* he orders your crew
That's why there's nothing for you to do

This man is Self-Love he loves you most
That's why your crew does little but boast

You are in despair no hope for tomorrow
That's why your best friend is Sorrow

This man is Lust and this man is Fake
They both choose for what leaves to rake

They rake leaves or anger sadness and sorrow that's why for joy you must pay or borrow


The ocean is open few clouds in the sky
And yet to you I must wave good bye

A good bye forever for you have no hope
Your stuck going down, down the sadness *****

But look what's that, a man in the sky
With angles around praising Lord most high

Meet your Savior He's riding a cloud
Music praises Him with trumpets aloud

This man comes down whipes away your tears You've been away a great many years

He clears your ship gives you a new crew
He makes it so you're no longer blue

He knows what is right.
So He clothes you in white.
He shows He has strength to overthrow sin. You sit there and wonder "what is this might?"

This strength comes from God who rules over all. He'll make sure into sin you don't fall.

So now with
Christ by your side
You walk stride by stride

Have faith in all this and remember His love,
remember in Heavan His presence above.

But above all remember this
Your greeted with a kiss
And not just by those who passed before
but also by Christ and angels

my best friend
is metaphorically two-dimensional
not of a very talkative sort

instead
it whispers in my ears and whipes off my face
tears that were never shed

it demands attention
wrapping around my arms and legs
like an ivy

jostling between my lungs
making for itself
a nice, empty space