POOR AND LOWLY

 

I never quite understood that year when father lost his job
His hope had fled, and replaced with fear in private he would sob
O mother knew she could find no way to lift him back to stand
I was so young in that bygone day, I couldn't understand

I never saw behind doors closed tight or heard their prayers towards heav'n 
But they would pray kneeling ev'ry night, to keep and bless us sev'n
We seven boys on their hearts took toll because of all our need
And weighed upon our poor father's soul for all the mouths to feed

Remembered I of the pair of sneaks that year I'd worn and kept
Their soles had peeled from their glued down peaks and flopped each time I stepped
Just as my shoes was my father's mind whose soul was all undone
His head hung low and he felt confined, down trod and overrun.

My parents knew of the plight I bear and mine was not alone
Each brother mine they all had their share of clothes out worn and grown
The winter cold would bring Christmas soon, and all it's pressured strains
For gifts to buy, decorations strewn and paper countdown chains.

Each present bought was a dollar lost, each toy and gift felt wrong
It's hard to give when constrained by cost or join in the merriment throng
The Christmas joy of that year was low and dad had felt he failed
Just kids were we twas not hard to know that Old Saint Nick had bailed

Our tree though dressed, had no look refine for we could not afford
No spuce or fir, just our plastic pine for seven years twas stored
The needles bare showed its life and use each branch had lost a few
It bore the marks from ingrained abuse its trunk stood quite askew

And when we tacked on our star it took a bit of bailing string
That tied the base to prevent went shook the star to sway or swing
The ornaments simply made by hand from paper, twine and clay
Were hung about on each branch unplanned like only kids array

Though young, I knew that when Christmas came the presents would be scant
A pair of socks and a fam'ly game, church shoes for me and Grant
For Ron they'd gift a small Lego set, for Kregg a knitted vest
The youngest three some cheap toys would get and clothes that'd been bequest.

 My friends at school they had quite the list for Santa's Elves to bring
 New He-Man figs with the action fist, Hulk Hogan's wrestling ring
 The GI-Joes and some under-roos with Bumblebee and Prime
 A Lazer tag and Air Jordan shoes, and Nickelodeon slime.

And though I'd searched through Sears Roebuck's flier of all the toys to view
Afraid was I to list MY desire for fear it'd not come true
I didn't want to place burden on my mother or my dad
I hid my wants until they were gone, I threw out every ad

On Christmas eve I was looking bleak when mother tucked me in
She knew me well and began to speak of times that once had been
A couple poor who had journeyed far found nothing but a stall
To birth a child underneath a star, a king to save us all.

And from the sands there came Wisemen too with gifts in tow to bring
They followed firm the new star so true until they found this king
And knelt with pride in the muck and hay presenting gifts and gold
No jolly elf or a deer drawn sleigh this story that she told.

It had no toys made up in the North through magic elven skills 
But told of sheep being driven forth by shepherds in the hills
And in the night there came angel hosts foretelling of a son
The shepherds heard and they left their posts to seek this holy one.

Surrounded there in the lowly stall with sheep and shepherds poor
This newborn child, the true king of all they bowed upon the floor
And praised his name God's begotten Lamb, the longed for Prince of Peace
Foretold by seers Jesse's Great I Am, from sins and death release.

As mother told the familiar tale my mind was filled with ease
My fears left when I let God prevail and see the world He sees
I drifted peacef'lly dreaming dreams of that one night so prim
And when a star with its glorious beams led them all to him

I woke and crept to our Christmas tree to find what Santa brought
And just as I had divined I'd see there wasn't quite a lot
The shiny shoes that I said I'd get, and candies in my sock
And as we played with Ron's Lego set there came a sudden knock.

"Delivery!" came from the door a shout, "On Christmas day?" We thought.
The mail was closed so we had to doubt so who to us had brought
A package tall stood beneath our stoop as large as you see me
Addressed to us it took all our troupe to bring it by our tree.

Who could have sent and what was inside? These thoughts began to pop
With one swift rip we had torn the side and opened up the top.
The box was filled with the newest toys from all those ads I'd seen
Each one addressed to us seven boys, and all were quite pristine.

Some nerf gun sets and four Lazer tag, with which we could all play
Some He-man figs that at school I'd brag I'd gotten Christmas day
A jacket for every boy to wear which made our mother weep
Each present packed was thought out with care. Who knew us so darn deep?

Beneath the last there was placed a note we found it with much glee
Inside the card we read what was wrote, "To my dear friend Maralee,
Don't ask me how, but I thought of you when I prayed for peace one night
I could not shake what God said to do, through me he'd show his light.

Confused at first from my knees I rose this plan became my creed
A package full of the toys and clothes your seven boys would need
Accept these gifts from our hearts to yours to lift a bit of weight
From off your backs that you stay the course with love, Your old Roommate.

We looked around at the things she'd sent and couldn't imagine quite how.
Had she been shown how our year had went, or how things were just now?
That Christmas day though twas long ago has never left my mind.
A lesson learned so that I would know that God was ever kind

He came to earth in the humblest way, descent below all things
But rose from all in that glorious day to become the king of kings
He calls us forth, the poor, meek and frail to be more than we are
So may we pray to let God prevail and follow fast his star