Whispers heard within the gloomy night
Creaks in the floorboard caused him a bit of fright
Yet, he mounted the lights without hesitation
T’is the season for giving and many decorations
He invited his friends but no one came
Offered a better deal was their reason to blame
Though this youth had no understanding of what he was in for
When a strange figure came knocking on the door
“Naughty or Nice?” was the game he played
What came next, the boy could only pray
Opening the door to find no one there
His friend was clueless to find him nowhere
Five minutes later and nobody appeared
If he disappeared, would anyone care?

∞

Joshua Figaro is a student of Sixth Form Government School (Polytechnic) in Port of Spain. This poem was written as part of a workshop hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Institute of Architects at Killarney, Port of Spain, in November 2023.