A Christmas Poem

‘Twas the fortnight before Christmas, when all through the house

A scream rang out, because I saw a louse

There it was crawling on dear Lilo’s head

So much for my plans for going to bed

 

The children were nestled in front of my chair

While I ran a tiny-toothed comb through their hair

Of course I also I found cooties on Stitch

Which made my head psychosomatically itch

 

With a trembling hand I beckoned the youngest

To see if the head bugs were rampant among us

I picked up the comb that had been boiled in hot water

And started to search on the scalp of my daughter

 

Thank God my baby girl had no lice

Even though I had checked her hair twice

Yet strong paranoia made my nerves chafe

Thus I doctored her too, just to be safe

 

Together I mixed up two potent oils

Both of them came from far distant soils

One was from olives, a slick cooking wonder

The other of tea tree, from that land down under

 

I had used this mix before with success

The only bad thing is the terrible mess

Resigned, I combed the oil into their locks

First Lilo, then Stitch, and finally in Spock’s

 

For more than hour they sat with hair sleaze

Watching their Christmas shows upon their DVDs

We each hoped that as we had patiently waited

All of the lice had asphyxiated

 

Then to the shower I hustled my crew

Where I scrubbed out the oil with tea tree shampoo

Then I fine-combed their sodden hair strands

Removing dead lice with my very own hands

 

Nothing was stirring any more in their tresses

So I told them to go and put on their night dresses

Sweet Babou had stripped and remade the beds

So there were clean linens for their weary heads

 

Although I will do the oil again to be sure

I am almost certain that their scalps are now pure

Nevertheless my job is not done

The mountains of laundry have only begun

 

Not only must every sheet get a good scrub

All of the towels also need the washtub

I must also clean every small girly coat

So we don’t end up back in this wretched boat

 

Now I go to my chores, but I give nary a whistle

I hate doing the laundry, I would rather eat thistle

So as I go take these good wishes from me

I hope that for Christmas you’re all safely lice free!

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