A Covid Christmas poem by Hartmut Schoon
This year, we once again put a great deal of thought into our Christmas card.
By no means an easy feat – after all, Enneatech AG has been around for 13 years now, and we want to continue to grow.
We soon decided on the image we wanted to use, as this image also adorns our Christmas flags on our company premises.
We had a harder time coming up with the right words, however. Unfortunately, this year has, in many respects, been another unusual year. Then it occurred to us that our Chair of the Executive Board Hartmut Schoon is a talented poet. He immediately set to work and composed an unusual, emotionally-charged Christmas poem that accurately reflects the current era.
CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
Mother! Father! Tell us of the days when you were small,
And no-one had to wear a mask at Christmastime at all.
The towns were filled with shoppers and the Christmas markets too,
A parking space was hard to find – whatever could we do?
Bratwurst, mulled wine, almonds – the traditional Christmas fare –
Wafted through the alleyways and the frosty evening air.
A choir of jolly singers sang a festive Christmas carol,
For throngs of happy listeners wearing cheerful gay apparel.
Friends strolled along together in the evening, arm in arm,
Sat side-by-side, a glass in hand, and kept each other warm.
You tell me you remember the shop windows glist’ning bright,
And children’s noses pressed against them, gazing at the light.
A model railway runs its course,
A teddy bear, a rocking horse,
The shining children’s eyes those days,
They warmed our hearts in many ways.
The sparkling colour lights upon a gaudy Christmas tree
For me, a dream is all it now can ever truly be.
The marketplace: it is empty now, just standing plain and bare
The laughter and the Christmas cheer have vanished in thin air.
No chance to grab a Bratwurst or some mulled wine from the stands.
No eating toasted almonds – we must disinfect our hands.
No smell of Bratwurst, almonds or sweet mulled wine fills the air,
Just frightened eyes of children who are darting here and there.
There are no carol singers serenading with their singing
No listening crowds, the rule is only cruel social distancing.
I wish that Christmas could be like your own sweet childhood days.
Without coronavirus and its many wretched ways.
I long to see a mask-free face,
A hospital ward with lots of space,
Christmas markets, packed to the fill,
Freedom to travel wherever I will.
I long to laugh and sing with joy, to go a little crazy,
Perhaps we will receive these blessings from the “Christkind”.
In these troubled times, both far and wide
We wish you all a peaceful Christmastide.
Let’s celebrate small joys of life in many varied ways
And hope that twenty twenty-two will bring us happier days.
This year, we’ve decided to donate all money earmarked for Christmas presents to the municipalities of Großefehn and Wiesmoor, who will use this money to finance CO2 traffic lights, air filters and other Covid-19 measures to help keep schools and nurseries safe.
