Twas the week after Christmas, and all over the town
Nothing had changed, people still wore a frown.
For many, no stockings were hung by the chimney with care
Perhaps by a hot air vent, if they had any to wear.
The temperature had dipped, down into the teens
And the homeless tried to find shelter, by whatever means.

For baby Crystal, there was a nation-wide search
Our hearts were lifted with joy when she was found in a church.
We couldn't save little Joseph who was hung by a rope,
But for tiny little Clifford, there now is some hope.
In Chicagoland, there were 59 others, who no longer have breath
They were beaten, shaken, strangled and some starved to death.

We all prayed for Angie, Polly and Cassidy
But our pleas went unanswered as it turned out to be.
People in Bosnia and Somalia are being slaughtered like lambs
While unrevered peace treaties are nothing more than mere shams.
The career of Michael Jackson was brought to a halt
Before we could find out if he is really at fault.

Multitudes of Clergy were charged with abuse
Why, even the Cardinal himself was caught in the noose.
Restaurants and Post Offices were scenes of devastation
As crazed madmen used guns to release their frustration.
Mingling with commuters, a man with a gun
Boarded a train, and destroyed innocent lives before he was done.

Women cower as they are stalked by ex-lovers
and husbands who kill them along with some others.
While the unsuspecting still die from the insensibility
of drunks who will drive lacking responsibility.
The police arrest them and call them by name
Wife-beaters, gang-bangers, drunks and abusers
Child molesters, kidnappers, rapists, dealers and users.

They locked them up, secure and out of sight
But most were back on the streets by the middle of the night.
Have we become a Nation that is so apathetic
That we've lost the definition of the word sympathetic?
An Angel dropped gold coins into the red pot
While in broad daylight, the innocent were shot.

Did we enjoy the Yule log, void of any shame
While the dwellings of others burned down by the arsonist's flame?
Clinton said, "We won't ask if you dont tell."
Then turned like a jerk, and applied that policy to himself as well.
We watched as thousands fought for their life
As the Great Mississippi created unbelievable strife.

How many more squares must we add to the Quilt
Before AIDS research is adequately funded out of guilt?
When will Congress agree with serious deliberation,
Or must we first lose an entire generation?
Divert the cost for those pictures of space
To eradicate prejudice against each other's race.

If we take little children, who are still so innocent
Instill in them compassion, is it not time wisely spent?
And so as we come to the end of 1993
We still might find a purpose with which we can agree.
Touch another heart today in a way that's loud and clear
Look for ways each and every day in the up-coming year!

Shirl Taylor-Pierce ©12/93