Wednesday December 21 2016  CHRISTMAS PAST

 

CHATTY CATHY AND THE PINK TEDDY

Kathleen Martens

December 21, 2016

http://www.visionsofpoetry.com

 

A darkened room in quiet still

A little teddy bear sits in a chair.

A Christmas tree stands close by

With a Chatty Cathy sitting there.

 

In total silence a girl sneaks in

And with delight the doll she sees,

The midnight hour she hastens back

And into bed she quickly flees.

 

A doll for Christmas will be her gift,

Excitement stirs within her soul!

Oh to touch and own such a doll,

Just to hold her was her immediate goal.

 

The pink teddy was just right for sister,

 A perfect gift for a two year old.

Christmas morn seemed far away,

But to steal a look was quite bold.

 

The little chairs that held the toys

Were scooted under a little table.

Short and small was its frame

With chairs not quite stable.

 

Finally morning opened its eyes

And into the living room two girls flew.

The eight year old seized the doll.

It was hers she definitely knew!

 

But alas it was not to be.

It was the teddy that held her name.

With heavy heart she handed over the doll

And never again was she quite the same.

 

The little table was to be shared

And each received one little chair,

She sat on her chair holding back tears,

Beneath her it collapsed in despair.

 

She always remembered that Christmas morn

And the broken chair she carted from place to place.

It was a memory sad and forlorn,

And Pink Teddy now has no face.

 

It became her friend in quiet solace,

And she always imagined it knew how she felt.

They were both it seemed a bit unwanted,

And with togetherness it was more easily dealt.

 

But that Christmas was long ago

And understanding covers old sorrow.

It was all her parents could afford

In order to buy food for the tomorrows.

 

Many years passed before she discovered

The doll was a sister’s gift,

By then her heart long had healed

But it still gave her bit of a lift.

 

She had always felt a bit less-than

Until she discovered she was the child of a King.

The gift of God’s love when Jesus was born

Renewed her heart and caused it to sing.

 

No gift on earth can surpass

What the true gift of Christmas means.

It is the gift of eternal life

And peace, joy, and love, it brings.

 

P.S.  I did eventually get over the sadness of not receiving that beautiful Chatty Cathy doll.  The very next year I received a beautiful grown-up lady doll purchased at the local corner grocery store.  I still have her, dressed in her original outfit, down to her high heel shoes that sit on a shelf in my kitchen.  And even after over half of a century her hair is as impeccable as the day I received her.  She has aged well.  Wish I could say the same for myself!