I
had
no
Christmas
spirit
when
I
breathed
a
weary
sigh,
and
looked
across
the
table
where
the
bills
were
piled
too
high.
The
laundry
wasn't
finished
and
the
car
I
had
to
fix,
my
stocks
were
down
another
point,
the
Chargers
lost
by
six.
And
so
with
only
minutes
till
my
son
got
home
from
school
I
gave
up
on
the
drudgery
and
grabbed
a
wooden
stool.
The
burdens
that
I
carried
were
about
all
I
could
take,
and
so
I
flipped
the
TV
on
to
catch
a
little
break.
I
came
upon
a
desert
scene
in
shades
of
tan
and
rust,
no
snowflakes
hung
upon
the
wind,
just
clouds
of
swirling
dust.
And
where
the
reindeer
should
have
stood
before
a
laden
sleigh,
eight
Humvees
ran
a
column
right
behind
an
M1A1.
A
group
of
boys
walked
past
the
tank,
not
one
was
past
his
teens,
their
eyes
were
hard
as
polished
flint,
their
faces
drawn
and
lean.
They
walked
the
street
in
armor
with
their
rifles
shouldered
tight,
their
dearest
wish
for
Christmas,
just
to
have
a
silent
night.
Other
soldiers
gathered,
hunkered
down
against
the
wind,
to
share
a
scrap
of
mail
and
dreams
of
going
home
again.
There
wasn't
much
at
all
to
put
their
lonely
hearts
at
ease,
they
had
no
Christmas
turkey,
just
a
pack
of
MREs.
They
didn't
have
a
garland
or
a
stocking
I
could
see,
they
didn't
need
an
ornament
-
-
they
lacked
a
Christmas
tree.
They
didn't
have
a
present
even
though
it
was
tradition,
the
only
boxes
I
could
see
were
labeled
"ammunition."
I
felt
a
little
tug
and
found
my
son
now
by
my
side,
he
asked
me
what
it
was
I
feared,
and
why
it
was
I
cried.
I
swept
him
up
into
my
arms
and
held
him
oh
so
near
and
kissed
him
on
the
forehead
as
I
whispered
in
his
ear.
There's
nothing
wrong
my
little
son,
for
safe
we
sleep
tonight,
our
heroes
stand
on
foreign
land
to
give
us
all
the
right,
to
worry
on
the
things
in
life
that
mean
nothing
at
all,
instead
of
wondering
if
we
will
be
the
next
to
fall.
He
looked
at
me
as
children
do
and
said
it's
always
right,
to
thank
the
ones
who
help
us
and
perhaps
that
we
should
write.
And
so
we
pushed
aside
the
bills
and
sat
to
draft
a
note,
to
thank
the
many
far
from
home,
and
this
is
what
we
wrote:
God
bless
you
all
and
keep
you
safe,
and
speed
your
way
back
home.
Remember
that
we
love
you
so,
and
that
you're
not
alone.
The
gift
you
give
you
share
with
all,
a
present
every
day,
you
give
the
gift
of
liberty
and
that
we
can't
repay.
© 2003
Michael
Marks:
"I
freely
submit
this
poem
for
reprint
without
reservation--this
is
an
open
and
grateful
tribute
to
the
men
and
women
who
serve
every
day
to
keep
our
nation
safe."
Michael,
thank
you
and
God
Bless
for
sharing
this
wonderful
poem
in
support
of
our
Armed
Forces,
have
a
blessed
holiday
season.
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