All I Want for Christmas

There are times, it is strange to think

When one casts an envious eye

At all those gifts, so beautifully wrapped

Lying around in wait for hands to pick

And then to discover with such joy and glee

What each of them holds, so fine and free

Why, if only I could be a child again

To seek only that simple, innocent pleasure!

Alas, I am growing old, too fast, I must say!

And soon, Christmas will just be another day.

But I must indulge a little of my innocent fantasy

And ask myself, what would I want as a gift?

Books, certainly! Yes, by my favourite author for sure!

Oh, and if you can bake me a nice Christmas cake too!

Surely, some sweetmeats and nice warm socks

But they can all be bought at the nearest shop!

Now, then, there is something, or rather someone

Whom I want rather too badly, too unreasonably!

Alas, she is too far away, I hope she does well

In that city of tall towers buffeted by the warm sea.

And we have walked on too ahead in our respective lives

How then could I hope to attain her as a prize?

And yet this heart of mine is a rebel without a cause.

It wants what it wants, no matter what's the cost.

So, all I want for Christmas is....bah, humbug!

Could God ever grant me this unreasonable wish?

Here it goes: I wish I could hear from her again

If only for a moment, or, let's be generous, a whole minute

A mere word, or even a few letters in abbreviated shorthand

From her could seal all my joys in an envelope

She alone can complete the half-formed happiness of my life

It surely isn't too much, oh God, that I am asking for!