‘Twas the day after Christmas, and in towns all about,
Suspenders were straining, and belts were let out;
Boxes and trash were piled by the street,
Awaiting trash trucks to make their first sweep;
And toys lay scattered throughout the homes,
From puppets to Muppets, to strange little gnomes,

While children imagined gifts yet to be,
By gift cards from Gram and old Grand-D.
Mothers were frantically planning their day,
Post-Christmas sales always start right away,
A few minutes late and the best will be gone,
Do we dare take the kids or leave them at home?

Fathers were sprawled in their loungers awaiting,
The kick-offs, the tackles, the players bragging and baiting.
The playoffs, the bowl games were all on the line,
The only thing missing- peace, quiet, and time.

As mothers decided and went for the doors,
The fathers all shouted, “Take the kids to the store!”
That evening saw dinners, leftovers no doubt,
And time spent remembering the laughs and the shouts.

Yes, all were sated, and most were quite pleasured,
To in-laws and others with memories treasured,
They all settled down, ready to call it a night;
The next day was scheduled to be sunny and bright.

But wouldn’t you know, before the first snore,
The doorbell announced, “Police at the door!”
Startled and more than a little perturbed,
Dad rushed to see why they were being disturbed.

He opened the door and faced quite a sight,
The house awash in amazing bright light.
It seemed one final gift there was that night,
A call claimed the SWAT Team needed to help,
As the family held hostage the Elf on the Shelf.

By S. E. Jackson

With apologies to the memory of Clement Clarke Moore

©oneoldcop.com – 2020