Naughty & Nice

As I ponder the year now ending
I am struck that my mind seems to go
Not toward what happened
But whether or not it should be so

A moral litmus test, you’ll reckon
Is a formidable way to live
Yet how else to measure the life we’ve got
And the life we choose to give

My Saintly demeanor desserts me
When I consider what I have ignored
The pain and suffering I could have eased
When I got numb and bored

True: I can toot my horn a bit
Two cardiac victims I assisted
I fed the hungry, clothed the ragged …
Are your eyes yet getting misted?

And then there’s the straight nasty I did enjoy:
Gossiping, Gluttoning, Slouching Out
Measure by measure, it’s a topsided mess
With me on the losing end, losing out

Who’s keeping score you ask?
Is God really writing in that ledger?
I don’t know – I don’t know if he cares or not
But I care in great measure

And so I take a little vow
A little resolution, though not light
To Keep Love in My Heart This Coming Year
And to make every day, like this Season, Bright!

Let’s Kill ‘Em With Kindness in ‘26!
Arthur F. Diggins, Christmas 2025