Thursday, December 2nd, 2010...12:19 am
Christmas Ghost
(A Random Act of Poetry for the prompt from David Wheeler and The High Calling to write about a “Christmas ghost.”)
My Christmas ghost was a sixth grade bully.
I walked the half-mile home the day before
the blessed two weeks of Christmas break,
blessed (I thought) not because it was the best
and biggest birthday, not because of
the birthday-boy Jesus, but because it was
a two-week respite from the bully
and her daily threats. The ghost remained
because of fear, yes, but not so much
the fear as the memory of the fool
she made of me and, even worse, worse
than the shame and the fear: she called me
friend. (She ended every bullying bout
with this claim spread thin: “I was only
joking.”) What a friend. What happened
to my sixth-grade Christmas break? I couldn’t
enjoy the days, for the looming end
of the precious two weeks stained and tainted
every joy of vacation, every Hershey’s Miniature
in the stocking, every morning slept in,
even the pretty lights on the tree blinking
different patterns—because every day I counted
down to the day I had to go back to the bully
who called me “friend.” On the last day
of vacation I even tried breaking my leg
(thinking a broken leg would draw pity
from a bully-friend); I tried and tried
until my brother, annoyed at the noise,
yelled from his room, “Stop jumping!”
But now I look back at the decades
and this Christmas ghost is gone, erased
by my own forgiveness given because of my own
forgiveness received. I deeply thank God
who has given me, over the decades,
true and good friends; most amazing of all
is that He, Himself, has called me friend.
...to Know-Love-Obey God
6 Comments
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:07 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Glynn Young and Chris Smith, April . April said: RT @gyoung9751: Christmas Ghost, new poem by @monicasharman http://bit.ly/fVQJVR [...]
December 2nd, 2010 at 10:07 am
hugs to that younger you.
and the now you.
and I know some grown up bullies and still struggle with how to handle those situations.
December 2nd, 2010 at 10:28 am
This is a powerful Christmas ghost.
I loved this phrase…
“every Hershey’s Miniature
in the stocking”
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:14 pm
I’ll follow up L.L. with the next phrase, “every morning slept in.” Such a poignant irony, rest in the midst of unrest.
December 3rd, 2010 at 11:57 pm
“and this Christmas ghost is gone, erased
by my own forgiveness given because of my own
forgiveness received. I deeply thank God
who has given me, over the decades”
Yes, God has given me over two decades.
Yes, forgiveness abundant enough to overflow.
Yes, walk in the way of forgiveness.
Thank you, I needed to breathe that again.
Bless the Lord, oh my soul!
December 4th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
I’m with Deb: hugs to that little girl you, Monica. Bullying is worse than a ghost, I think. But so glad Jesus gave you that heart to forgive. That is where there ghosts finally stop haunting, isn’t it?
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