Saturday, December 24, 2011

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...Widda-Style



‘Twas the night before Christmas
          And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring…
          Except for a mouse.

The stockings were hung
         By the chimney with care
But with the mouse in the house
          The widow wanted her husband there.

She'd curled up with her kerchief
      After a few nightcaps
And was trying to settle her brain
         She’d give anything for a nap.

When in her room
        There arose such a clatter
“One more problem!” She thought.
       “I swear my brain’s going to shatter!”

Away to the window
       She flew like a flash
“One more problem,” she thought sadly.
       “But I don’t have enough cash!”

The moon on the breast
        Of the new fallen snow
Reminded her to get up early
        So she could give it a blow.


She wiped her eyes with her sleeve
       So that the tears would clear
Figured the noise was the mouse
        And she knew it was near.

As it scurried she knew
       It was lively and quick
And with a scream she ran
      To her bed in a jiff.

“More problems!”  She cried
       And felt quickly the strain
Of the bill she’d receive
         When the exterminator came.

“Away Fear!  Away Sorrow!
        Go Crises and Grief!
Out Sadness!  Out Depression!
        It’s Happiness I seek!

To the top of the world…
         I want to do it all!
Widowhood’s been a storm
        And I’m tired of this squall!”

She gathered her courage
       Gave her floor a try
Went to the window
       And looked up at the sky.

She gazed up above
       And somehow she knew
For the first time she believed it
       She knew it was true

Her eyes started twinkling
      She began to regroup
There were no guarantees
       Nothing’s foolproof.

She drew in her head
       And turned swiftly around
She knew it was time
       To try and rebound.

She dressed in her robe
      Slid slippers on her feet
Smiled for the first time that year
       You could see all of her teeth!

A weight had been lifted
       It felt, from her back
For the first time that year
        She was on the right track.

Her eyes, how they twinkled!
       Her giggle sounded merry!
For the first time that year,
       Life didn’t seem as scary.

Life was a gift
      Tied up with a bow
Her husband would want her happy
       This she should know.

Her hope, she held tight
       Finally she could breathe
That silly old mouse
       Didn’t know he’d released…

Someone new, someone sure
     Not a Nervous Nelly
The burning was gone
     From the pit of her belly.

She saw the mouse in the corner
     Hiding behind a shelf
And she started to laugh
     She couldn’t help herself.



She winked at him
     For he had nothing to dread
This little mouse
     Had actually cleared her head.

She spoke not a word
     So he wouldn’t go berserk
Walked to the front door
     And gave it a jerk.

The mouse turned around
     And twitched his nose
“Go on,” said the widow
      “Out you go.”

He rushed out the door
      Into snow like crystal
“I did it!”  She said
       Her expression quite wistful.

“I can do this,” she thought
      As the mouse scurried out of sight.
“Christmas will be hard…

But I can see the light.”

1 comment:

  1. I wish I had caught this one on Christmas Eve! Thank you for the lovely gift of your words ... laughter sooths the heart.

    ReplyDelete