Christmas in Hell

Walking through the snowy city,
Neon and flash muffle the stars,
A pace madly void of pity,
A world of carbon coughing cars.

Peace on earth in holiday mode,
With endless sales to void the soul,
Merciless will the voices goad,
To part every one from their dole.

All blinded by sparkles and bling,
Deafened by such vacuous calls,
Foot before foot, n’er hear the bells ring,
Steeples and churches dwarfed by malls.

Once the meaning was so splendid,
Now a time for rich and for poor,
To part, the least unattended,
A sign faith has failed to endure.

Beleaguered, the first holy night,
An occupied land, a common birth,
Common family in uncommon plight,
Newborn with beasts, next to the earth.

The voices were those of shepherds,
Angelically were moved to find,
Streaming from hick town’s backwaters,
The lowly behold the greatest signs.

Today, the Christ child lingers,
Far from knickknack cherubs and elves,
And the hype and sale of anglers,
Nearer ones who humble themselves.

Streetwalkers, embezzlers, users,
Bankers who’ve lost every wager,
Room for abused and abusers,
Forlorn find Christ is no stranger.

Wherever be there hell on earth,
The Christ strays far from the mirth.

Afghanistan, Algeria,
Angola, Burma, Canada
China, Colombia, Congo, GAZA
Georgia, India, Indonesia,
Iraq, Israel, Ivory Coast,
Korea, Laos, Lebanon,
Moldova, Namibia, Nepal,
Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine,
Peru, Philippines, Russia,
Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka,
Sudan, Thailand, Turkey,
Uganda, United States,
Uzbekistan, Yemen. (1)

When Christmas is hell, hope is in dearth,
The heart's cry should be for peace on earth.

(1) Some of the places at war or where war has been fought now, and relatively recently.