'Twas the Night Before Christmas

By Craig Baugher

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all across the lake,

Not a creature was stirring, except for me, who was wide awake;

The livewell was humming and prepared with care,

In hopes that Hawg Bass soon would be there.

The bass were all nestled along a deep rock bed,

While hundreds of shad danced above their heads;

With my lure in the water, and a tug of my cap,

I settled back, waiting for that winter bass's tap.

When all of a sudden, I felt such a tug,

I sprang from the console, kicking over my coffee mug;

Away to the front deck, I flew like a flash,

Kicked on the troll motor and set the hook with a bash.

The moon on the breast of the water and snow,

Gave the luster of mid-day to the objects below;

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a 20-pound hawg, spitting out eight tiny red-ear.

With a jump here and there, so lively and quick,

I just hoped my line didn't have a nick;

More rapid than dolphins, her jumps came,

And I whistled, and shouted, and called her by name.

"Oh, Hawg! Oh, Sow! Oh, Baby! and Big'un!

Come on, Girl! Come on, Babe! Come on and give me a kissin';

To the top of the water! To the top of the seawall!

Come in! Come in! Baby, don't get off!"

As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, she mounts to the sky;

She courses to the top and out of the water she flies,

Flipping and flapping, as she drives high into the sky.

And then, in a twinkling, she landed on my deck,

As I was prancing and pawing, as I searched for my net;

I threw open the livewell, and as I turned around,

Down the livewell she went with a bound.

When I turned, there was a man dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes--how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe, he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook like mine when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but I knew what this meant,

I just received a gift, from Old St. Nick;

Then he turned with a jerk, and laying his finger aside his nose,

Giving a nod, up into the sky he rose.

He sailed to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle;

But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

First published Dec. 22, 2000.