‘Twas the night before Christmas
When all through Strong Memorial
Not a small child was crying
Not even Julio
The wagons were lined up
In the hallway with care
In hopes that the families
Wouldn’t steal them from there
The children were nestled
All snug in their beds
While visions of needles
Danced in their heads
And Jessie in her sweater
And Jen with her keys
Had just settled down
To cough and to sneeze
When out on the play deck
There arose such a clatter
Wendy burst through the door
To see what was the matter
Away to the window
She flew in a flash
Knocking the Christmas tree
Down in a crash
The moon shining down
Through the windows in the ceiling
Made the dirt left by housekeeping
Now quite revealing
When what to her wondering eyes
Looked so big
But a miniature sleigh
And eight tiny pigs
With a loud sloppy driver
Pushing his way through
Wendy knew in a moment
It must be Swine Flu
Faster than cheetahs
Onto the play deck they ran
Wendy clicked the web paging
For help from her clan
“Now Mary, now Eva
Now Rachel and Chris!
Come Patty, come Jessie
Colleen, Geri, Melissa!”
“Come up to the play deck!
Come up here right now!
We must get rid of
This sickening sow!”
From all over the hospital
The specialists they sprang
Armed with their bubbles
And the VCUG bag
And then in an instant
They heard on the roof
The stomping and clomping
Of each ugly hoof
Wendy lifted her head
And was turning around
When onto the hockey table
Swine Flu jumped with a bound
He was covered in germs
From his head to his toes
His sweaty hoof wiping
His runny nose
His eyes how they drooped
His cheeks how rose
The oxygen running
Through a tube to his nose
He was chubby and plump
A horrible pig
And we cringed when we saw him
And knew this was big
A bundle of piglets
He had flung on his back
All ready to run
And make the attack
One cough from his mouth
Would spread sickness with ease
Wendy said “My child lifers,
We must kill this disease!”
“You’ve stolen our siblings
And family visitation
The Tuesday picnic
And Halloween celebration.”
“But you won’t take our Christmas”
Wendy said to the flu
Then she turned to her staff saying
“You know what to do! “
With a nod of their heads
And a quick steady hand
They pulled all the Cavi wipes
Out of the can
They went straight to work
Wiping up that darn flu
They sent that pig packing
And his little pigs, too
Then they heard flu exclaim
As he left for vacation
“I’ll get you next year
Before your inoculation!”
Wendy turned to her team
As she waved to the swine,
“Merry Christmas to all,
Now, who’s got the wine?”
Merry Christmas my wonderful friends-
