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DEATH ON CHRISTMAS
-December 24th-
I HEARD THE COUGH
FROM THE SICKNESS ROUGH -
I HEARD HER TURN IN HER BED
AND THE CLEAR MOAN,WELL PAIRED-
I SIGHED IN TEARS FOR MUM WAS DYING-
"HOW DO YOU FEEL SWEETIE?"
"BETTER,SON," I KNEW SHE WAS LYING-
"YOU SHOULD SLEEP, GERALD HONEY."
BUT HOW COULD I SLEEP WHEN MUM WAS DYING?
NO MONEY FOR PROPER MEDICAL CARE-SHE WASTING
I WEPT TO THINK OF IT-POVERTY.
"OH MUM YOU SHOULD GET WELL QUICKLY."
I HEARD HER LAUGH IN PAINS:
"YOU SHOULD SLEEP AND NOT TO WORRY."
I CREPT TO HER BED MY BODY IN CHAINS-
HELD HER HANDS IN MINE-FREEZING;I WAS SO SORRY.
"GO TO SLEEP DEAR," SHE GROANED;
SOON PERSUADED, I RETURNED TO BED WEEPING
AND SOON FELL ASLEEP IN THE GROAN-
YES-TOMORROW WAS CHRISTMAS-NO WEEPING
-December 25th-
I WOKE FEELING STRANGE AND BATTERED
WHILE A GLOOM HOVERED-HOPES SEEMED TO SHATTER
I SCRAMBLED TO MUM'S BED
AND BEHELD THE ETERNAL CONFISCATOR OF HAPPINESS-DEATH.
-BY GERALDARTS
CONTEST NAME-"Saddest" Christmas Ever
SPONSOR-Constance La France
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