Magi I by Della Conroy
Overheard in the caravan (going home by another way)
Myrrh, frankincense and gold -
that's what we left with.
Now we go home empty-handed.
Empty saddlebags on the camels,
hearts full of questions…
Did we leave the presents
with the right king?
One king in a palace,
warm, fine and plush;
the other in a barn
all muck and hay – and oh, the smell!
But did we leave the presents
with the right king?
Oh, I think so!
Remember Herod’s eyes, envy-green?
But oh, the innocence of the child
who but cried and nursed and slept…
I think I saw him smile once!
And clearly, his parents needed the help.
No newborn’s parents would have turned down the gold!
No, they were honest folk…
You could see it in her face
and in the way he cared for her and for the child.
They’ll save our gifts
for when they need them
and mark my words:
they will need them…
But did we find the one we sought?
Was it his star?
What if we were wrong?
His star it was, indeed:
a star of mystery
beyond the wisdom of us all.
We may not understand
but we know
it was his star…
What next, then?
What will we tell the folks at home
of what we saw - and did not see?
And what will they think of us
when we tell of a manger throne
in barn of a palace?
They’ll likely think us fools!
I wonder, still, myself
if we found anything or everything -
or maybe even more than all…
A trip we won’t forget, that’s sure,
nor him we found
nor those we met along the way…
And the angel in the dream
with warning – just in time!
Now this way home,
another way…
A new way now,
the way of dreams…
So mind the star,
it’s still above…
But fading fast,
so keep the pace…
-ConcordPastor
You are an exceptional writer of many formats. I enjoy reading your "personal" pieces. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, teacher! My "personal" pieces are also the ones I most enjoy writing - but as you can imagine, they are also the ones that demand the most time.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful imagining. A few months back I read a few books about Lawrence of Arabia, Gertrude Bell and Gordon of Khartoum, all of whom spent time in the Arabian deserts. The recent posts that have featured the wise men and their camels keep providing me with flashbacks to Lawrence, et.al.'s, experiences with their camels in the desert country. Not exactly the same thing as the wise men's journey, but the desert country alone, I think, has a spiritual quality.
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