Builders' Forum Archives

Merry Christmas

Posted by Woodie on Dec 25, 2006

Found this on paddling.net

Paraphrased by jjoven on a poem by By Stacy Smith - College Grove, Tennessee - USA

�Twas the night before Christmas And all thru the shop Not a project was finished With no time to stop.

The oiled paddles dried By the woodstove all day, But the darned stuff, still sticky, Just got in the way.

With me in my coveralls And the cat on the floor� (Duct tape blocked the wind Through the crack in the door)

Had both agreed early We�d fought the good fight, But we knew it was going To be a long night.

When under the hull There arose such a clamor I flattened the end of my thumb With the hammer.

Searched for a weapon I began to prattle , �Come out from there now, Or I�ll use this paddle!�

Then what to my bloodshot Eyes should appear But a crusty old canoeist Picking dust from his ear.

His whiskers, how wiry; His clothes, what a sight, Wondered I, �Had the old Fool been there all night?�

But the tools in his Cookes Custom bag on the floor Soon led me to know that He�d seen canoes before

He spoke not a word - With a grunt and a jerk, He snatched up his tools And went right to work.

Oh the Old Man was flying, �Twas poetry, almost. What manner of Messer- About was this ghost?

The old codger made the Shop tremble and quake Fore, aft and abeam, Raising dust in his wake.

He ripped and he planed, And he sanded and shaved Till the hull was so fair I quipped, �Christmas is saved!�

With 'poxy he then covered The hull with S glass That canoe was glowing ! Like a diamond in a goats behind

Then as quick as he�d started He bagged up his gear, And wiping the fresh lump of Goop from his ear,

He brought forth a flask That he kept in his vest, Then he sprinkled the bow, And knocked back the rest.

We stood back and toasted All lakes and rivers, We cursed rocks and sweepers And cold water shivers.

With a wink and a nod, And then, moving the cat, He propped up the bow of the Boat as he sat.

�Keep paddling!� he said, Crawling under the hull, �Tho� we all must grow old, We don�t have to grow dull�.

Then exclaimed from beneath As he turned hard to eddy, �If you can't paddle fast, At least paddle steady!�