A walk on the seamier side of Christmas

It's better to give than to receive!

By Stanley Collymore

 

Don’t talk to me about Christmas, Santa Claus or his reindeer

as I’ve had enough of the hypocrisy that surrounds them

every year; for I’m one of the long-term unemployed

who’s destitute and full of despair, as it’s quite

obvious to me from what I’ve observed that nobody really

cares. Worst still and adding insult to the injury of the

misery already cruelly and needlessly inflicted on

me that I’m left saddled with and hard as I try

am unable to circumvent, the local council, like

it said it would, went to court, and readily getting

the latter’s support in the form of an eviction

order, promptly and unceremoniously

kicked me out of the door of my

childhood home, because I

could no longer afford

to pay my rent.

 

Social Security who I then turned to weren’t much good

either as regards helping me out of this terrible mess

that unforeseen circumstances had landed me in,

telling me rather arrogantly and insensitively

that the rooms in my former home were

actually far in excess of my personal

needs; rules they went on to say

they couldn’t ignore or relax, as to do so

would seriously compromise as well as

contravene the official guidelines

and stipulated requirements

expressly laid down in

the government’s

own legislated

bedroom

tax.

 

So as I had two bedrooms in my designated council

flat and lived there all on my own, so there was

no disputing that fact; it wasn’t only fair to

the taxpayer but also on the public purse

as well that the shortfall in the state’s

contribution to my rent, caused by the

imposition of the statutory rent-cap that

Social Security felt compelled to impose

on my previous home, should in those

given circumstances, they logically

argued, be my sole responsibility and

therefore paid for by me alone; if ,

that is, I still wanted to carry

on living in what was,

after all, my home.

 

An impossible task as you’ve rightly guessed

and the worst of all states to find myself in:

explicitly, an involuntary and ongoing

homelessness. So please save your

breath about Christmas and do

give up on the bogus piety,

as I don’t think I need

to remind you I’ve

more pressing

priorities!

 

© Stanley V. Collymore

20 December 2013.

 

Critique:

This poem wasn’t written by me with any profound directives in mind as to how any of you should conscionably or otherwise, independently or collectively, live your individual life. Notwithstanding that though its purpose is to point out that Christmas isn’t about singling out and concentrating exclusively on one specific day in each year and no other; and once that day passes into oblivion everyone can just revert to carrying on as before as though the actuality of Christmas and what it genuinely represents never happened at all, until that is the next one arrives and the customary charade ceremoniously removed from its closeted mothball is allowed to temporarily gain momentum again.

 

A flawed Christian, as indeed I am, I’m nonetheless fully cognisant of what Christmas is and has from its inception been really all about; and although I’m not or have I ever been a member of the Salvation Army which I wholeheartedly respect and financially support on a regular basis, I do so principally because it’s my honest opinion that it’s the only organization I know of which credibly and fully lives up to its moral, social and religious obligations as it altruistically implements, doing so at times in seemingly impossible circumstances, the unadulterated doctrine of Christmas together with its universal message of comradeship, compassion, benevolence and love to all mankind as it was intended to and should be practised by each and everyone of us; and not just around or only on the 25th December of each year, but consistently and cooperatively throughout the entire year.

 

And as a positive reminder of this and for their sterling and sometimes unappreciated work carried out 24/7 and 365 days of every year, I humbly dedicate this poem to the Salvation Army.