Poetry Collection 1L
The 12 Days of Christmas
Regine Miren D. Cabato
regininers@yahoo.com
Philippines
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me
A vulture in a dead tree.
For he knew I liked exotic things, so the vulture sat and tucked its wings,
And it just sat there and waited and watched.
On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves
And a vulture in a dead tree.
For he knew I asked for something that could fly, and he plucked them straight out of the sky,
As the vulture sat there and waited and watched.
On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a vulture in a dead tree.
For he knew I liked birds of all flock; he told me I was the hen and he was the cock '
And he plucked doves from out of the sky when I asked for something that could fly, As the vulture sat there and waited and watched.
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a vulture in a dead tree.
For he knew I might need a pet to come back home to me, and to reminisce memories;Of any sort, of any flock, for I was the hen and he was the cock'
And he promised things like something that could fly by plucking doves out of the sky All as the vulture sat there and waited and watched.
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a vulture in a dead tree.
He finally proposed to me, handing in one of the five gold rings
And all around me all the birds he�s given sing
All except the vulture, who sat there and waited and watched.
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a vulture in a dead tree.
The geese, they laid these golden eggs, just like the ring he'd given
These things, all things he promised me � they left me undeniably smitten,
As the vulture sat there and waited and watched.
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a vulture in a dead tree.
My love left the gift, but I did not see him but the swans were beautifully black
But then they climbed from the pond and ate the other birds, then so naturally went back
All as the vulture sat there and waited and watched.
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a vulture in a dead tree.
I did not see him either today; and so the maids served the milk and other things
My mother, she got poisoned; they robbed us of cash and the four other golden rings.
The last I still wore on my finger, as I lay down, wept, and bled
And still the vulture sat there, and watched and waited.
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a vulture in a dead tree.
The whores burst into my household, still no sign of the man in daylight
But these dancing prostitutes they came pouring in, and seduced my father for one night.
The morning after, he was gone, but then they themselves had not fled
All this as still the vulture sat there, and watched and waited.
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a vulture in a dead tree.
I still did not see my lover, and the lords leaped on the ladies loins so free
But there were nine of them and they were ten; so the last one took to forcing me
Still on I wept as my child from my lover, looked on in horror as I dreaded
And on and on the vulture sat there, and it merely watched and waited.
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a vulture in a dead tree.
They were pied pipers from Hamelin, and they marched across the town
All children followed, including mine up the street and down
I've lost my child forever, and I have nothing left no more, no little, nothing said
As the vulture sat there, and watched and waited.
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a vulture in a dead tree.
The twelfth day dawned and I realized, he no longer loved me anymore
The last day dawned and he returned, to fetch the ring from my finger sore;
When it clung to my skin he chopped it off, and I lay bleeding as I cried
Then he took his knife and stabbed me on, and left me there to die.
I could hear the drummers from the Black Parade, come to pick up the dead
And on and on the vulture sat there, and merely watched and waited.
Regine Miren D. Cabato, I - Brebeuf
