Apologies to Dr. Seuss – A Christmas Poem

I was alone on that Christmas but don’t feel bad
I sat alone in my room and I was so sad.
There was no sign of Christmas, not that one could see
No holly, no wreaths, and no, not even a tree.

Then I opened a can of spaghetti with meat
No, it wasn’t exactly a great Christmas treat
But I ate it I tell you and I was alone
For dessert I ate a stale old strawberry scone.

I turned on the TV but it started hissing
A lady’s voice said “Do you know what you’re missing?”
Then dressed in long white robe she appeared on my screen
And said “You’re the loneliest man I’ve ever seen.”

I looked at her and said “Are you talking to me?
Surely you’re not, because as you can plainly see
I am eating spaghetti right out of a can
And I’m warm and I’m dry and I’m not a sad man.”

She smiled and she looked from the screen into my eyes
She said take my hand for you I have a surprise.
I said “You must be kidding, you’re inside my TV!”
She said “Do what I say now and you will soon see.”

I felt like a fool sticking my hand to the screen
But I did it and saw something I’ve never seen.
I was floating around with a lady in white
Looking down on a village on a Christmas night.

I saw families gathered, smiles on their faces
All warmed by the logs burning in their fireplaces.
And the presents were scattered all over that house
Dad got a new sweater and mom got a new blouse

There were smiles everywhere you could see all the love
Church bells were ringing and snow fell from above.
The ground was all white, you could see the snow glisten
The lady in white said “I want you to listen!”

I’m still floating around with a lady in white,
Above a this small village on a Christmas night
And I hear people singing; I feel their great joy
In fact I am feeling like a small little boy.

“Do you feel the warmth when you hear them all singing?”
She said to me while the church bells were still ringing.
“I do, I do!” And I looked down on the small town
There were nothing but smiles and not one single frown.

She smiled and she took me some place I did not know
It was way far away – there was not any snow.
I saw an old man, he was alone and confused,
And he did not look happy, not one bit amused.

He was all wrinkled, just a pathetic old man
Eating spaghetti with meat right out of a can.
The lady in white said “And now what do you see?”
I said “I see the future. That old man is me!”

“Now you know why you should go see your family”
And I thought to myself I can’t let that happen to me
The she took me back home and I floated no more
I must have been sleeping right there on my floor.

I got up and I showered, put on my best clothes
I walked out the door, felt the snow fall on my nose,
I walked down the street and with a smile on my face
I shouted “Merry Christmas” all over the place.

I went to my neighbors and said come over and dine
I have turkey and pie and some really good wine.
I called my children – “Come see your old dad!”
I could tell by their voices that they were all glad.

That evening we gathered for a big Christmas feast
The bread was amazing – all pumped up by the yeast.
The turkey was tender and the pie had whipped cream
We all gathered together, it seemed like a dream.

Perhaps we should think lest we find ourselves alone
Eating spaghetti with meat with an old stale scone.
It is never too late to make everything right
What better time is there…

than on this Christmas night?