The Man With No Home

Listen to the Church bells.
They ring for freedom,
as the yuletide brings us to our knees.
A tired, ragged man in despair who walks on
into the snow senses nothing.
His feet are ice cold and his scruffy boots
grind deep down into the ground.
He has no money to buy food.

Here are we.
Bundled up and warm while the spirit of Christmas
looks to us like extravagant gifts as glamorous
showcases in our lives.

Where does this needy man go?
He talks a bit to himself and has never worn
a Cross. He is a misfortunate soul who has
no home, no family, no loved ones.

We deck the halls.
He watches little children
laughing as they run across the road from a
department store, kept tightly in the hands of
their mothers.
He is suffering the pain like
a man named Jesus.
He must bear the burden of poverty
like any other poor man.
The impossible festivities hang in gloom over
the telephone wires for him.
He hears carollers far away
as he listens to an old, crackling
radio he has pressed against his frozen ear.
He has no peace of mind.


Will his footprints be followed in the snow?
Will someone save him?

We dig deep into our pockets for small change
for this man. Are our hearts in the right place?
Will the true spirit of the season keep him
safe?

Winner of Christmas Spirit Contest
(Surprise), 2003