I lay in bed
In the dead of night
Waiting for sleep
Waiting for him
Waiting for tomorrow
When there will be gifts
Games and toys and pie
Oh boy
I love tomorrow
I love it so
Suddenly a thump
A clatter and a crack
The tinkle of bells
Powdered snow falls from the roof
And sprinkles the yard
Like a sugar donut
It's him!
He's here!
Can I see him?
Can I say "hi?"
There's a noise downstairs
The creeping of feet
The rustle of a bag
The guzzling of milk
I slip out of bed
Shiver in the cold
My breath slips away in whispered puffs
But I can't be deterred
I must be tough!
Into the hall, I tip on my toes
Down the stairs
Through the kitchen
And then at last, he's come to sight
The coat, big, red and bold
Is unmistakable
The sack at his feet is filled with toys
And games and cakes and other joys
His stomach bubbles and wobbles
Like a bowl full of jelly
His beard is long
And smooth
And silver
Like the bells on his boots
And the trim of his coat
He looks at me
Eyes wide with delight
A smile splits his humble, pink face
And I see now that the prints on the floor are not snow but
Blood
And the toys in the sack are not plastic or tin
But tooth, and bone, and torn bits of skin
The gifts by the tree
Are packaged like meat
I take a step back
He takes one forward
Eyes glinting blue and green
Like the lights wrapped about the tree
He holds out his hand
All sticky and wet
Chuckles real softly and says
"Merry Christmas to you,
My dear little boy.
Come look in this bag,
I've got you a toy."
