A Christmas Gift

The snow falls gently, softly,
changing the landscape into a fairyland.
Trees lit with multitudes of lights
shine from homes filled with laughter and mirth.

Yet on the corner stands an old man
looking for food in a trashcan.
A woman with her child heads to a shelter
for there will be warmth there.

There's a party next door to the old woman
who no longer goes out
and wonders if her children will call on this day.

There's gift giving next door to the old man
who sits alone remembering the days
when he played catch with his son.

But the kids are all grown
with family and friends of their own.
The old and the poor are left
to wander the streets
or to sit alone,
remembering when there was more laughter than tears.

They don't look for gifts under trees anymore.
They don't look for laughter when there are only tears.
They do look for the time
when people had time.

Time ... what a precious Christmas gift.