George M. Noblitt

THE HOLIDAY SPIRITS

 

The wagon came to a crashing stop

It's passengers thrown to the ground

Dressed in red with ragged white beard

He moaned as he lay in a mound

 

He sat upright in the frozen snow

As the cobwebs started to clear

He wished he'd stayed in the warm saloon

Or at least drank one more beer

 

He fought his way up from the cold earth

A fight near lost to corn whiskey

The old man replaced his red stocking cap

Then brushed himself off quite briskly

 

He turned to the team that drew his wagon

As he drank more holiday cheer

Then he blinked his eyes in disbelief

The lead horse had changed to a deer

 

He closed his eyes and squeeezed them tight

Then he slowly took another peek

He thought he'd seen the deer's nose flash

It's medical help he should seek

 

He glanced in the wagon he'd been thrown from

It was filled with candy and toys

Found in his coat a piece of paper

With a list of good girls and boys

 

A light twinkled in the old man's eye

Strange ideas sprang from his mind

Thoughts of rooftops, presents and children

And food to eat of every kind

 

He struggled back on the wagon seat

He stood there with reins in hand

He cracked the whip and away they raced

Throwing up snow and silted sand

 

The startled team again out of control

It was like a nightmarish dream

The old man hanging on for dear life

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! You could hear him scream