A Christmas Tale

Outside my dorm window, the snow began to fall; Everybody had gone home, but I didn’t have a car. Christmas break started yesterday, they’re gonna throw me out; I’ve got no place to go, I’ll just be wandering about. Rubbing elbows with the rich kids on an academic ride, But the tracks that I come from are from the other side. No daddy who’s a lawyer; no mother with a doctorate degree, No car keys to a new Porsche underneath a Christmas tree. Threw some clothes in my backpack with the cafeteria food that I stole; Borrowed my roommate’s comforter to protect me from the cold. Found a shelter for the homeless on the other side of town; With my First Year Contract Law book, I started to hunker down. A little boy walked up beside me and stood beside my cot, “Mister, would you like to share my candy, it’s the only thing I got. I’ll give you half my candy cane if you read me a story from your book.” How could I refuse this little boy and the longing in his look? “You can keep your Christmas candy, but I will tell you a story, About a newborn baby King and the star that signaled glory.” As I told the story of Christmas, the best I could recall, People gathered around the two of use as the snow outside did fall. When my story was finally over, the little boy just smiled, And put a smile on every other face that gathered in the crowd; Then he looked at every one of us and said, so simply, “Jesus Christ put that star of hope into all of you and me.” Suddenly, my self-pity flew right out of my soul, Becoming rich like all my schoolmates, no longer was my goal, I closed up my text book and went outside into the snow, Laying on our backs, making snow angels, we watched the stars aglow. “The star of hope still shines brightly, each and every Christmas night, With our faith in baby Jesus, everything will turn out all right.” I returned back to the university and finished my degree, Dedicating my life thereafter to helping others out of poverty. Every Christmas Eve I go back to that shelter on the far side of town, And retell the story of Christmas to whoever comes around.