AN EMOTIONAL CHRISTMAS
| It was that happy Christmas season Busy shoppers filled the streets Their arms laden with presents And lots of Christmas treats The joy in children's faces Their hearts so full of glee Looking forward to the presents They'd find around their Christmas tree But in the midst of happy people With their spirits soaring high A lonely mother felt just sadness She had tear mists in her eye In a throng of smiling faces She found it so hard to believe That she could feel such sadness And it was Christmas eve She didn't buy a Christmas turkey Or any special stuff She bought a small cake and some biscuits She thought that would be enough Reluctant steps now took her homeward To a house so full of gloom A house so cold and empty Where only memories filled each room A house where Ben had gave his love Until the day he died She had bravely faced the future With her daughter by her side But her daughter had deserted her And left her on her own She'd lost the daughter she had cherished She now faced life alone Her daughter was just fourteen When she had ran away This season brought her sadness Oh, how she dreaded Christmas day She had reported Laraine missing And searched the streets both day and night She knelt beside her bed each evening And prayed with all her might As she stepped into her house It seemed to chill her arteries This house was not a home It was a tomb of memories She wandered through the house Each room had memories to display There was the now silent piano That her daughter used to play And in her husband's study That he used to call his 'den' In the empty chair behind his desk She imagined she saw Ben In her daughter's bedroom On one decorated wall Among her favourite posters A large photo brought recall It was her daddy in a Santa suit And to add to the despair In Santa's arms, a happy child Now, neither one was there On her bed, her favourite teddy bear Was such a forlorn sight Oh, why do children grow so quickly They seem to grow up over night Strong emotion overcame her She felt her body sway In her mind she heard Ben's laughter And watched Laraine at play Many memories flashed before her Of the happy times they'd had The thoughts seemed to blur her vision Was she going mad? She stumbled to the dining room And slumped down on a chair The emptiness and silence Was just too hard to bear She rummaged through her purse And found a crumpled tearstained note And her fresh tear-stains were added To the words her daughter wrote "Mum, I hope that you'll forgive me But you smother me each day I no longer feel I'm living And I have to run away." "You have always bathed me with your love But since daddy died I've found You have grown over protective Your fear is so profound." "You try to wrap me up in cotton wool And keep me on the shelf You won't let me do the simplest things In case I hurt myself." "It's now twelve months since daddy died And your concern is getting worse I need your love and understanding But I don't need a full time nurse." "I have to break from your protection And I hope you understand If I'm to grow into a woman Then, you must let go my hand." "I feel I'm suffocating My nerves are on the brink I think a break will do us good We both need time to think." "I'll miss your care and your affection And I'll miss your loving touch You've always been a perfect mother But you're protecting me too much." "You worry that I'll suffer harm In the slightest thing I do You miss daddy's loss so badly You have this fear you'll lose me too." "You must try to get back confidence And stop your fears from running wild You'll find I don't bruise easily I'm a very healthy child." "Some day in the future When we've had time to think things through You will find me on your doorstep I couldn't live life without you." As the mother read that note She knew her daughter's words were right She had been smothering her daughter She had held on much too tight She sadly eyed the empty table She couldn't bear to sit and grieve To overcome the weight of sadness She would play at make believe She carefully smoothed the loving note A small candle was then lit She placed the candle and her daughter's note Near the place she used to sit Though her hands were clearly trembling And her legs felt so unstable She placed a photo of her husband In his head place at the table She then set the dining table With love and so much care This would be another Christmas That the three of them would share She knew the chairs were empty But through pretence she hoped to find The three of them would share this Christmas If only in her mind She placed three baubles on the table With three large candles burning bright But even with some tinsel It was such a lonely sight Another candle flickered Between her biscuits and her cake But tears began cascading Her 'make believe' was a mistake The house had no decorations Or a Christmas tree to bless The rooms held little sign of living They held only loneliness She had to fight off this depression She knew she had to take a stance But while the dark of night embraced her She sat as in a trance Since her darling Laraine left her The time had passed so slow It seemed years since she had held her Was it just three months ago? She sat thinking of her daughter Her thoughts were sad and deep Then in the early hours of morning Through exhaustion she found sleep Sunlight played upon her face She shook her drowsy head This was Christmas morning The day that held such dread She had accepted Ben could not be there But it was different with Laraine When a loved, young child is missing A parent's heart feels so much pain She heard the doorbell ringing And though she found it very hard She walked slowly to the doorway And found a lovely Christmas card The card was from her daughter "Mum, I strayed a bit off track I'm so sorry that I ran away I pray you'll take me back." "I've been living with my grandma I made her promise not to tell I threatened if she told you I'd run away from her as well." "I've grown up a lot in three months And I've come to realise To try to run away from one you love Just isn't very wise." "Please don't be angry with me I know I broke your heart But I hope you'll give me one more chance To make a fresh new start." "Until I have your forgiveness I'll be waiting at the gate And if forgiveness takes a lifetime Then, that's how long I'll wait." With a quick glance at the garden gate Her heart lost all its pain There stood the young girl she'd gave birth to There stood her darling, sweet Laraine They ran to greet each other Their tears near made them blind As their arms went 'round each other Two hearts of love entwined They stood hugging, kissing, laughing Their life was sweet again The daughter held her mother The mother held her dear Laraine Their dark clouds had all disappeared And resentment, there was none They held each other oh, so closely Their bodies seemed to meld as one And above their tears and laughter Came the sounds from far away The church bells chiming peace and love And it was Christmas day K.D. Abbott © 2009 ************************************* NOTE: I wish to clarify that I have no connection with Facebook, Twitter or any other web site. ************************************* |
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