Lonely again at Christmas, all friends and family gone
He sadly smoked his cigarette and felt it burn his lungs
No sweetly singing choir did grace his sadly listening ears
But wheezing, hacking coughing
As his sad eyes filled with tears.
They greet him not with Christmas cards, nor calls to his front door
No carolers, no happy smiles
For him they all ignore.
"He's crazy, odd and different," they say
And so he lights one more.
His fingers tremble, not from cold
But from nerves and weeping.
He knows nothing of Christmas joy
Nor sweet traditions keeping.
And so he lights another stick
And draws a ragged breath.
His New Year's Resolution seems to be an early death.
He empties out the ashtray
and lies him down in bed
Sad visions, not of sugar plums
Dance
through his weary head.
Then Christmas dawns cold and bleak
Without a friend in sight
But something wonderous waits for him,
A ggift was brought that night!
With trembling yellowed fingers
He opens his surprise
And sadness turns then to sweet joy
As glad tears fill his eyes.
"My friend," reads the simple note,
"I would not watch you die
From cigarettes and loneliness,
So please give this a try.
It isn't very hard to use, and will give you what you need
To breathe again, and end that cough
Now
throw away those weeds!
You see my friend, you are loved
By many you don't know.
So take this gift, and use it well
And let old habits go."
He opened up the little kit
And stared, eyes open wide
A battery shaped like a cig and cartridges inside.
He put the thing together, and gave a trial puff
Then
threw away his cigarettes, and smiled :Enough's enough!"
And puffing in more vapor
He knew he'd be okay
For someone "paid it forward"
On that glad Christmas day.
