A Christmas Carol Poem by John Yaws

I sat and watched a movie-
It's called "A Christmas Carol"-
It's moral seems so very plain
Ignore it at your peril...
There's more to life than getting gain-
Success is measured more-
By what you give to others
Than what you keep in store.
The "Ghost of Christmas Past" it seems
Reminds us what we lost-
Decisions made, we now regret-
Reveals the awful cost.
Vows we made, and then we broke-
Plans which went agee-
Detours on the road of life-
The things which made me.... Me.
And "Christmas Present" I suppose-
Reveals the way things are.
And warns us of redress to make
Before they go too far.
And "Christmas Yet to Come"? Oh, my
So dismal and alone-
A death un-mourned, a life un-missed-
A name upon a stone.
What is your life? a tiny dash-
Twixt dates upon a stone-
The pen of life does write but once-
Before its ink is gone.
Our legacy... upon this earth-
Cannot be judged by gain-
And riches found within a bank-
Which at our death remain...
True wealth is measured by the tracks
One leaves upon the land.
And how we lived, and if we loved
Our neighbor, fellow man....
In closing I would lift a toast-
Like Tiny Tim, so small....
And that toast is: "God bless us!
God bless us, one and all"!