Boxing Day

BOXING DAY

The class-system still lingers; it will never go away.

But it was utterly rampant in the old-time Boxing Day.

There were many variations on the upstairs-downstairs theme,

But kindness to the underlings was the main part of the theme.

The servants had to labour long on the twenty-fifth of December,

Cooking, serving, washing-up for each wealthy family member.

So, when the twenty-sixth came round, left-overs were donated

To all the servants below-stairs, who humbly stood and waited.

Each servant had a little box to put his goodies in;

At other times, throughout the year, his pickings were quite thin.

(The illustration up above is not meant to be satirical;

The little waif is supposed to feel the apple is a miracle!)

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RED CAP.
(Written during a better summer than this one!)

I think of this cap in the Winter,

When I stay warm and cosy in bed,

I'm always reminded of Summer,

By the cap Malcolm has on his head.

We'll rise early and walk to the ocean

Taking coffee or maybe some tea,

And we'll watch the sun rising in splendour

All rosy and new from the sea.

A few Early Birds will be swimming

A few hardy souls will be there

But we'll feel that we own this whole vista,

The beach and the sky and the sea.

And we'll dine on our coffee and biscuits

As Lords of Creation, no less,

Then the heat of the day will start growing,

And we'll go home to shower and dress.

I look forward to Summer for some things,

But not the heat day after day,

When it's hot then I'll yearn for the Winter

And indulging the opposite way.

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