Those that knew me in high school will recognize the name. For the others, I was Elwood to almost everyone once upon a time. Wrote this about 10 yrs ago. Merry Christmas.
It was Christmas Eve,
an we were all at the bar
When this old man came in
And said,"Who owns that car?"
I looked around the room,
The regulators all grinned.
"It depends," I said.
"Which one do you mean?"
Sweeping his arms long and low he said,
"The purple and white Cad.
I'm broke down and need
To borrow it bad."
The room grew quiet
As all eyes turned toward me,
For the car was mine
And only I had the key.
I spoke not a word
As he came over carrying his bag.
"I know its yours," he said.
"I read it on your tag."
Calmly I sat there,
Surprised that I could.
Then he bent to my ear, whispering,
"Don't you remember me, Elwood?"
Sitting there stunned,
The past suddenly came back,
For who could forget the eyes, the laugh,
And of course, his bulging pack?
Suddenly I knew it was OK.
The car would be back, nary a scratch.
And I heard him say,
"I know the paint would be hard to match."
I tossed him the key.
They landed in his hand.
"Be careful," I warned.
"Don't spin out in the sand."
The request was granted.
He started to leave,
Then I reached behind the bar,
Grabbed a package and gave it a heave.
As he opened it he looked at me,
His eyes starting to fill,
'Cause the shirt was his size
And read, "Property of Elwood's Bar and Grill".
He slipped it on
And started to fill his pipe.
I turned to wink at Susan,
And then he was gone from sight.
I wanted the others to see,
So I had to think fast.
"Quick! To the front windows!"
I managed at last.
To the windows we all went,
Quick as a flash.
Except for ol' Chris,
And he fell with a crash.
I pulled him up
And what would appear,
But the Cad, St. Nick,
And eight tiny reindeer.
We stood there amazed,
Silenced by surprise.
For on the hood was Rudolph,
With fog lights for eyes.
Then all was calm
When the Cad was gone from sight
And the bar emptied early,
For it was Christmas eve night.
Later I sat by myself,
My chest full of pride,
For I had saved Christmas,
But I wished I had went along for the ride.
Then I heard Santa cry
As I turned out the light,
"Merry Christmas to all,
And, Elwood, sleep good tonight!"
