With apologies to Ogden Nash, who will probably rotate in his grave over this.
The hands of the clock were reaching high
In the house where Scrooge did dwell.
And as the stroke of midnight broke
There appeared an apparition from hell.
Jacob Marley his name and hell’s own flame
Illumed his eyeballs garish.
And the chains he wore dragged across the floor
With a sound that could make one perish.
“Scrooge,” he said with the voice of one dead
“I have come to give you warning.
Three spirits shall find you and with magic bind you
Ere the cock crows in the morning.”
His voice dropped to a whisper as soft as mud
In the bed of an old canal:
“Humbug you may say, but they will not go away
And they will haunt you in this locale.”
Marley vanished in thin air from Ebenezer’s stare
And the old man sat alone.
But when the bell tolled one, his trial was begun
For then the first spirit was shown.
It wore a garment of white that shown in the light
And a belt that twinkled quite fast.
“Who are you?” Scrooge said with a voice full of dread
And heard, “I am the Ghost of Christmas Past.”
The spirit’s ploy was to return to the boy
Who had grown up to be Scrooge the man.
And to show him the good that was in his childhood
And the love of his sweet sister Fan.
Then Old Fezziwig was there with his strange head of hair
Calling for the festivities to begin.
And the dancers came twirling with coats and capes a-swirling
And Scrooge remember what fun it had been.
Then he was returned to his room and fell asleep quite soon
Until suddenly the clock struck one again
A bright light pierced the gloom from the adjacent room
And Scrooge felt he was going insane.
He walked across the floor and opened the door
For such was his intent
But beheld with his eyes and with massive surprise
The Ghost of Christmas Present
A giant man sat there holding a torch in the air
And said, “Come in and know me better.”
On his head was a wreath and bare were his feet
And his demeanor was quite unfettered.
The ghost showed him the town and they wandered around
Seeing people enjoying the season.
Till they came to the abode of Cratchit, which showed
An abundance of cheer and good reason.
Scrooge saw Tiny Tim and was baffled by him
For he knew not that the child was a cripple.
And he watched as they ate and cleaned off every plate
And the family’s joy seemed to triple.
Scrooge asked of the spirit (for he alone could hear it),
“Tell me if Tiny Tim will survive.”
The spirit said, “Nay, he will be taken away
For this next year he shall not thrive.”
Then in the blink of an eye away they did fly
To the house of Scrooge’s nephew Fred
Where they played games and sang and their laughter rang
Until eventually someone said,
“Let’s play Yes-or-No and all have a go
At guessing the target described.”
And they asked and they pondered ‘till someone finally wondered,
“Is it Scrooge that we all have defined?”
The answer was yes, though the description was a mess
And not complimentary to old Ebenezer.
But Fred stood as the host and offered a toast
Of Merry Christmas to the old geezer.
Then the ghost took him home and when they were alone
He showed Scrooge Ignorance and Want.
And the sight of the orphans with no future or fortunes
Forever his memory would haunt,
The ghost was replaced by a spirit with no face
That was shrouded all in deep black.
His heart filled with dread; it appeared as one dead
And he took a trembling step back.
“Do my eyes now see Christmas Yet To Be?”
He asked with a quavering voice.
The ghost nodded its head and pointed straight ahead
And that motion left Scrooge no choice.
They went into the town and the talk went around
About a man who last night had died.
Though a name was not spoken, not a single heart was broken
And not a single eye cried.
They saw his things sold by the poor and the old
Who had taken them out of need.
But the money that they got when they sold the whole lot
Was lessened by the shopowner’s greed.
They continued on alone 'till they found a stone
Lying at the head of a grave.
The ghost pointed ahead and Scrooge looked and he read
His own name on the stone engraved.
He cried out in agony, “Oh please tell to me
“Are these things that come will or come may?”
But the ghost stood there and fixed him with a stare
And Scrooge began to pray.
“Good Spirit,” he begged as he bent down his leg
And knelt on the ground by the stone.
“Please give me a chance, another look, another glance,
To erase my name on this stone.”
He awoke in his room, his very own room
With a wonderous sense of joy.
He pranced about and gave a great shout
As if he were a young boy.
And as that new day began, he became a changed man
And he brought peace and joy to others.
He had learned that night, through his harrowing plight
That all men really are brothers.
But the ice ‘round his heart shattered and tore apart
And was replaced with the warmth of the sun
When he heard Tim, Bob’s boy, say with a voice full of joy,
“God bless us all, every one.”