My First Christmas Alone by Mark Spencer

Twas the day before Christmas,
And my house, still as a tomb,
Seemed bigger than in days past.
Not a sound from any room.

Papa died three years ago,
Mother followed this last May.
I'd never felt so lonely,
As the way I felt that day.

I needed no Christmas tree,
There were no presents to share.
When I woke Christmas morning,
No family would be there.

So I headed up to bed,
For sleep took the pain away,
But before I lay me down,
I knelt down and I did pray.

I asked God to comfort me,
In a sad, despairing tone.
Christmas is for family,
And should not be spent alone.

Then I blew out the candle,
And I drifted off to sleep.
But I woke from my slumber,
When I heard a woman weep.

I turned to see my mother
In the chair beside my bed.
I thought I must be dreaming,
Or going crazy instead.

I asked why she was crying,
And she looked up in surprise.
Amazed that I could see her,
She wiped the tears from her eyes.

She held me for a moment,
And then took me by the hand.
We walked to the living room,
Where a Christmas tree did stand.

My father had just finished
With decorating the tree.
And the smell of his pipe smoke
Seemed like fine perfume to me.

He took me in his embrace,
And he held me oh so tight.
I missed his big old bear hugs,
They were always a delight.

We sat and talked for hours,
They told me why they were there.
They said God sent them to me,
For an answer to my prayer.

But when the clock struck midnight,
They said it was time for bed.
"We'll be watching over you,
Throughout all the years ahead."

"And we'll return each Christmas,
As long as we're invited.
Until we are together,
In Heaven, reunited."

And then I woke that morning
Thinking all had been a dream,
However vivid it felt,
Or how real I made it seem.

It was only make believe,
Just my imagination.
I must have created them,
Out of my desperation.

I walked to the living room,
Where I found waiting for me,
Stacks of gifts there on the floor,
Underneath that Christmas tree.

Now I'm no longer lonely,
And my faith in God has grown.
He gave me a miracle,
I now know I'm not alone.

Terrie* (65.136.7.143) -- Saturday, October 11 2003, 09:20 pm

oh wow! very touching.....Mark
i enjoyed this...i was touched by your poem, some how a tear managed to escape. it was beautiful..thank you for sharing such lovely writing.

Katie (129.67.63.83) -- Sunday, April 30 2006, 11:19 pm

:)
That's really beautifully written and brought me to tears. You are really talented :) x

Silent Bells (165.29.58.126) -- Monday, December 18 2006, 05:22 pm

Eloquent
this poem was very touching and gave me a boost of faith that god always does come around when we need him the most.*

barb (67.58.197.124) -- Tuesday, December 19 2006, 02:35 am

so spiritual
I love those kind of happenings. Thanks for sharing this wonderful write,It's so nice to see a person with warm beliefs.

Bipedalguy (4.156.129.221) -- Tuesday, December 19 2006, 07:38 pm

Beautiful story, beautifully written.
This write really warms my heart and reinforces my hope that I too may again see my lost loved ones.

Capricorn (82.46.181.243) -- Wednesday, January 4 2012, 01:00 am

Very moving poem
I missed this when you wrote it Mark, but I'm so glad I found it now. It's a beautiful poem and has made me feel nearer to my own parents - both no longer here. Thanks for the read!

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