Soldiers Poem

This isn't one of mine, but I thought it deserved an airing.

It has been claimed as being the work of both

 an American and a British soldier,

so authorship is unclear.

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE, 

IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE 

MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE. 

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY 

WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE, 

AND TO SEE JUST WHO 

IN THIS HOME DID LIVE. 

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, 

A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE, 

NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, 

NOT EVEN A TREE. 

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, 

JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND, 

ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES 

OF FAR DISTANT LANDS. 

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, 

AWARDS OF ALL KINDS, 

A SOBER THOUGHT 

CAME THROUGH MY MIND. 

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, 

IT WAS DARK AND DREARY, 

I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, 

ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY. 

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, 

SILENT, ALONE, 

CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR 

IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME. 

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, 

THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER, 

NOT HOW I PICTURED 

A UNITED STATES SOLDIER. 

WAS THIS THE HERO 

OF WHOM I'D JUST READ? 

CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, 

THE FLOOR FOR A BED? 

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES 

THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT, 

OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS 

WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT. 

SOON ROUND THE WORLD, 

THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY, 

AND GROWN UPS WOULD CELEBRATE 

A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY. 

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM 

EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR, 

BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, 

LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE. 

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER 

HOW MANY LAY ALONE, 

ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE 

IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME. 

THE VERY THOUGHT 

BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE, 

I DROPPED TO MY KNEES 

AND STARTED TO CRY. 

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED 

AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE, 

"SANTA DON'T CRY, 

THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE; 

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, 

I DON'T ASK FOR MORE, 

MY LIFE IS MY GOD, 

MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS." 

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER 

AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP, 

I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, 

I CONTINUED TO WEEP. 

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, 

SO SILENT AND STILL 

AND WE BOTH SHIVERED 

FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL. 

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE 

ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT, 

THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOUR 

SO WILLING TO FIGHT. 

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, 

WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE, 

WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA, 

IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE." 

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, 

AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT. 

"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, 

AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."


Thanks to Julie Williams for sharing it