The First Chapter

The First Chapter
I
Twas Christmas Eve.
The wind blew bleak and cold,
And snow lay deep on field and wold,
And winter claimed the day.
Old Scrooge, he sat within his shop,
And counted every coin and slop,
Of business, sharp and keen.
A kindly word, a generous deed,
Were things he could not bear to heed,
His heart was hard and mean.
His clerk, poor Bob, with face so pale,
Worked on, though shivering in the gale,
And longed for Christmas Day.
Then Marley’s ghost, in chains so dire,
Appeared, and filled the room with fire,
And warned him to beware.
He spoke of spirits yet to come,
And offered Scrooge a chance to shun,
A life of lonely woe.
And so the night wore on apace,
With spectral visions, time, and space,
For Scrooge to truly know.
The second spirit came with cheer,
A holly wreath, a face so dear,
And laughter light and free.
They flew through streets of snowy white,
And saw the joys of Christmas night,
For all the world to see.
The third, a specter dark and grim,
With hooded face and fearful limb,
Showed future, cold and dread.
And Scrooge, now changed, with heart anew,
Resolved to live his life more true,
And banish all his dread.
His Christmas feast, a joyful sight,
With family gathered, warm and bright,
He lived a life of love.
And thus the tale concludes, you see,
A lesson for humanity,
From Marley’s ghost above.