A Christmas Poem from Dave Corrigan

It was Christmas Eve Day and true to my soul

I was out on The Mountain, taking a stroll

I crossed over the brook and then up the slope

Just wandering and dreaming and looking for hope



Times had been tough and things had been hard

I grieved for the future and my outlook was marred

For things that I’d prayed just couldn’t be true

Were coming to pass, and this I well knew



I thought and I pondered as upward I went

Drawn by a force, like a hound on a scent

Onward and upward I silently stalked

Until an old man stood before me, and suddenly, I balked



I was startled to see, up here in this place

One so old and so white, with a smiling face

It was a tough place to get to, way out up here

I never expected a soul, let alone one of such years



He called me by name and bade me come close

I wasn’t so sure, but he struck such a pose

In his gray woolen pants and his shirt black and red

That my heart it felt light, with no inkling of dread



He was a man of some years, of this I was sure

He’d seen 80 winters, and probably more

But his smile was genuine and he seemed rather spry

So I lost all my misgivings and took to the guy



The old man sat himself down on a large rock full of tripe

Then struck up a match and lit his small pipe

His manner was gentle and he put me at ease

And soon I was sitting on a stump at his knees



“You know Davy boy,” he said with a tear

“I’ve been watching these woods for many a year

First the old Choppers with crosscut and ax

And then the young Guide’s, with packs on their backs”



“After them came the Skidders and mechanical crews

Who’d never known horses, and looked sideways at mules

They meant no harm, I’ll grant you, it’s true

They were just hired men doing what hired men do”



“Sometimes the damage they did was pretty darn bad

Sometimes what I saw made this old man sad

But though there are exceptions, most clear cuts return

Over the years re-growing, like an old forest burn”



Then the man paused and he looked far away

And I could tell he was pondering some far distant day

But what I couldn’t tell and he gave not a clue

Was if he looked to the future, or to some day he once knew



After a minute he said words that struck to my heart

He said; “Now boy, it is time for you to do your part.”

I stared at him blankly, I sat there quite dumb

I had no idea what to do in the days yet to come



“The cutting and chopping and ruts,” the man said

“Nature can heal—there is nothing to dread

These things they cause pain, and sometimes real damage

But you’ve been ‘round ‘nuf to know that Nature can manage”



“But boy I tell you that what’s coming up next

Never was written in old Ma Natures text

Some will tell you it’s good, but the truth you’ll behold

As the scars they’ll run deeper than any forest floor mold”



“Don’t let them deceive you; judge all men by their acts

And when lies they do feed you, then go digging for facts

What’s coming already in your heart you know true

And you know what all good men must stand up and do”



My eyes they got blurry and my heart it beat fast

Because try as I might, it was a terrible task

To stand up and speak up in the face of such power

To speak for the Mountains and People in their most desperate hour



The old man went on as his eyes twinkled with dew

“This is the duty of all men, but I ask it of you

Because you know these woods, these brooks and these Mounts

And you know well as any, just what really counts”



“You won’t be alone, there are many, it’s true

Who will stand up and speak up, and demand answers, too

Stand with them, boy, and do whatever you can

To stave off what’s coming will take every woman and man”



“But this here is Maine and the people are tough

It won’t take long ‘fore they stand up and all shout, ‘ENOUGH’

And when this is done, and the laws they get fixed

You’ll be proud that you stood up, and in the fracas you mixed”



“Just do the right thing, and don’t ever back down

Don’t let them drive you out, from your Mountains to town

For one sign of weakness, that’s all it will take

For these dishonest Developers to strike like a snake”



“But I tell you boy, if you’ll just stand strong

You will drive them all out, and it won’t take very long

Because most men are honest, at heart, as you know

And given the chance, Mainer’s will tell them to ‘GO’”



“So just stand up straight, and honest, and true

And stand with those others that believe as you do

If you can do that, then there’s every chance

To run those crooks out of Maine at the point of a lance”



I sat there and listened as the old man went on

He talked of the old days, and sang an old song

Then he talked of the future and things yet to come

And as he spoke with authority, I sat there quite numb



This old man he knew things, but how, I can’t say

He knew both of the future and of long ago days

So I sat and I listened, for hours I suppose

Until suddenly I awakened, with a chill on my nose



A light snow was falling and I was chilled almost through

There was no sign of the old timer, but I know it was true

That he’d been there and spoken, and given me hope

Though if I mentioned it to others, they might think me a dope



So I headed home; I still had presents to wrap

And decided for now, not to mention my nap

For to speak of such things to practical Yanks

Is to open oneself up to unthinkable pranks



And so Christmas Eve went off as before

And soon the whole house was asleep, behind the locked door

The presents were set just under the tree

And my old hound dog lay not too far from my knee



Come Christmas morning we all gathered round

And any who’ve known would recognize the sound

Of gifts being opened and cards being exchanged

And none would have guessed at anything strange



That is until, well back under the tree

I found a small package that was addressed to me

There was no ‘from’ on the tag, only a ‘to’

So from whence it came, not one of us knew



I opened it up and to my surprise

An impossible thing lay before my eyes

In my trembling hand, I held a small pipe

The same one that was smoked by the man sitting on the rock tripe



The windows were locked, and the door was still bolted

And out of his sleep the hound never jolted

So how in the world could anyone dare

To slip me this gift that just couldn’t be there



As I examined the wrapper that had fell to the floor

I saw on the inside there was something more

Inside the paper that had late held the pipe

There was some writing, of the old fashioned type



It said; “Now my boy, you know it’s all true

And deep in your heart you know just what to do

So take courage my boy, and remember the love

That this Christmas Day comes from above”



“But remember as well the things I foretold

And promise yourself that as you grow old

You will always and ever do what is right

That for Mountains and Neighbors and Truth you will fight”



Well, I fell to my knees, with tears in my eyes

The emotion that welled up, I couldn’t disguise

I knew from that moment that all would be well

As I gathered my folks, the whole story to tell………