Merry Christmas (Cynical Christmas 2011)

Somewhere distant, somewhere near,
Voices whisper in your ear,
Demand the sacrifice of blood and tree
For their colors red and green
And in the guise of good and right
They keep the children up at night,
And all around, their words are clear—
          Merry Christmas.

The voices echo in your head
Telling you no time for bed—
For stores to wander, things to buy,
Gifts to wrap and mummify,
Food to sate your family ravenous,
Gifts to fill your parlor cavernous,
Deck the halls till you fall dead—
          Merry Christmas.

Garlands wrapped 'round till they choke you,
Yule logs belching out their smoke fumes,
Snow falls when it's freezing cold,
Whines from the young, gripes from the old,
And still the voices never leave,
Still they say you must believe,
Still they echo all around you,
Still they ambush and surround you,
Still they sing their carols cheery,
Still they know when you are sleeping,
Still they wait till you're awake
To pour on you their greetings fake,
And from all corners, you can hear them,
Chuckling as they know you fear them,
Until at last your reach that morning,
Presents opened, parents mourning,
Dinner eaten, the whole house clear,
The final onslaught coming near,
And in one brief second of silence,
You turn and scream in bold defiance—
          Have
          A
          VERY
          Merry
          Christmas!