Jacob Marley - a quatrain with apologies to Dickens.

Jacob Marley worked hard all his days,
accruing money in so many ways.
He felt himself to be an upright man,
and valued his position all his span.

Yet when poor Jacob came at last to die,
Saint Peter met him with a saddened sigh,
barred him from joining the heavenly host,
condemned him then to be a wandering ghost.

Then Jacob was tight bound with heavy chain
that dragged upon his soul and caused him pain,
and sent to wander far across the earth
to find the things whose value held true worth.

At first his chain weighed heavy on his heart,
this upright man had always played his part,
He could not understand his dreadful fate,
just why he was condemned to this hard state.

He strode the winds dragging his chains behind,
his troubles always playing on his mind,
but slowly then, the world he could not touch
loosened his mind from self-indulgent clutch.

Into his heart and soul some feeling crept,
he saw the plight of others as they wept,
he saw the poor and starving die of cold,
he saw the suffering of young and old.

Then on one Christmas Eve,when praying hard
to help a friend he held in high regard,
his pleas were answered and he did indeed
provide the warning that his friend did need.

So Scrooge was spared the pain of Marley's fate
but Marley wandered on in the same state,
his chains now nothing compared with the pain
of watching others suffer once again.

Then Marley found his roaming steps had led
not to the earth but Heaven's gates instead.
He stood and faced Saint Peter's sorrowed look
and bravely asked his question, though he shook.

"Am I condemned to roam eternally?
Is this the fate God has in mind for me?
It is the punishment I so deserve
and such a sentence willingly shall serve."

Then Peter sighed and shook his head again
"Jacob, though I am sorry for your pain,
just look hard at the chain that you now bear,
are those the links the Good Lord fashioned there?"

So Jacob looked and saw the links had changed,
the binding had been gently rearranged,
the chain no longer made of glowing steel
but of the shame and regret he did feel.

"Go wander more across this world of grief,
until you find again your true relief,
forgiveness for the things you failed to do
can only come at last from within you."

So Jacob roamed again across the land
until he found that he could understand
and pity the poor creature he had been
and let his pride fade in the sights he'd seen.

Then once again he stood in Peter's sight
and Peter smiled at him with great delight
then threw the gates wide open to let in
one more redeemed soul to find peace within.