To Arryn on Christmas Morning.

A gift from a poor man who is also very wealthy.

A pale street light in McPherson city,

A rainy reflection in water is seen,

Two lovers who long to stay.

They walk in the misty night,

Faces lit in the pale moon light,

Praying for one more day.

Too young to know of life,

Too ignorant to know what lies,

In some distant future day.

The moment they know is joy,

Careless they skip and they toy,

Playfully they go their way.

“This may be the best days that we know,

And I am prepared that we may go,

A hard path along our way.

“But I will stay true,

And I will love you,

No matter the hurt or pain.

“For I am for you,

And I love you too,

Though a sinner you know I will stay.”

He holds her so close,

And her nose rubs his nose,

And sweetly she starts to say:

“When a future day comes,

When the stars and the sun,

Do not want to shine one day,

“I’ll remember this night,

When you held me so tight,

And we chose to let fate have its way,

“When our lives would be ours,

When our God knew our cause,

To be with His one and the same.

“I have no fear,

As long as you’re here,

And I know that we have what God may.”

Those days of simplistic pleasure are past,

Their nights have seemingly slowly gone past,

But his bride did so patiently stay.

Through fires they went,

And many days spent,

Have been soaked by tears as they prayed.

Their God they have carelessly

Snubbed as they hopelessly

Went on that path where they say,

“Lord why all the pain,

And why all the hurt?

The hard times are too hard,” they prayed.

“My heart aches when I sink

In the thoughts that I think,

But he gives us much hope for each day.

“It is here I will rest,

When I think of the best,

Of the days that behind us did lay.

“On that one August night,

When in pale moonlight,

We skipped merrily our own pleasant way.

“I am confident that,

Rain-soaked night where we laughed,

Will not yet be our happiest day.

“There are many days yet,

Which before us are set,

And we know not the joy God will show.”

“I look at you and see,

That your joy is not me,

And am happier yet when you say,

“God has carried us still,

And ahead of us will

Carry us on life’s journeys and days.”

For my bride, I give you a Christmas limerick,

I hope that you know that you are the gift,

God gifts me with every day.