Where Are You, Christmas?

Under the mistletoe, people kiss
Beneath the starry night, we wish
Below the Christmas tree, presents we unfold
Lanterns of colors, red, silver, green and gold

The streets are packed with Christmas goodies. Its the cheery Christmas atmosphere.
Families are walking past, with children and in hand, loaded with gifts all safe and protected. A lonely beggar in a dark alley, cold, hungry and without a home, shivering in hopelessness, “where are you, Christmas?”

Roast ham, cheese and wine
Together, happily they dine
Sharing the eggnog in a mug
Huddled, cozy in the fluffy rug

Soldiers separated from the loving arms of their families, heeding the call of their duty
to fight for their country. Deprived of the joy of Christmas Eve, the echoes of gunshots, the thunder of canons, the rain of bullets, the screams of fear and pain, “where are you, Christmas?”

Opening season’s holiday treats
Shopping on rushing, busy streets
Smiles warm each other’s heart
Friends reunite from miles apart.

Prisoners serving their sentence, atoning for their sins, eagerly waiting for freedom. Spending everyday with the condemned while their families await for their return, “where are you, Christmas?”

Yuletide carols fill the snowy night
Babies tucked snugly in the candlelight
Grandparents sleep in dreamless slumbers
Fire, warming the house in glowing embers

OFWs working overtime in a faraway land in the service of other people, laboring under the supervision of a foreign employer. Gazing out the window, watching the cheerful citizens, longing to be home. Alone, they are counting the days, “where are you, Christmas?”

From the chimneys, Santa slowly creeps
Filling up the stockings while everyone sleeps
Awaiting the joy of Christmas morn
The day the Savior himself was born.

photo credit: jezzy-art.deviantart.com