A re-told story of birth
Christmas 2016
The city was dark
with only the stars and the moon
creating a deep purple hue
that overlaid everything;
no one was out and the
entire world seemed to be asleep
comfortably unaware
of any change that might be
happening right around the corner
from them.
My walk through advent had been
long and tiring; mostly disappointing
but not without anticipation.
I turned a corner and
there was a glow that came from
a simple well-worn barn and a voice
inside my head invited,
no,
urged me to open the door.
No, I replied, I’ll just look in
through the window, I’m
fine with that, I’ll
be OK here.
No, the voice replied,
it is true that you can see the light
through the window but if
you want take part in this
you will need to open the door
yourself; you will need to
make a choice to go inside.
And so I reluctantly, quietly
ever so tentatively lifted the latch
and pushed the door
ajar.
Nothing.
Nothing at all.
So, I shoved the door a bit more
and stepped across
the threshold and
it hit me like the wind
of a 1000 deserts and the
purr of a kitten.
A vision exploded in my head as
the light shone from the room
so bright that I was blinded.
It burst out through the door
and encircled the dark;
or was it that the dark became
the center of the light?
the open door to the world
freed the light but the light
did not dispel the darkness
as much as give it form
and shape so that
the two fit together
in a type of puzzling mosaic
allowing me to walk
in and out of both
and I saw that it was
possible, even preferable
for them both to exist
and darkness and light
were not opposite
each other.
But the vision blasted
on without hesitation
determined to
fully show itself
in that vision I saw
a new way born from
the highest ideals
in the lowliest of places
I saw that the spirits of the heavens
had come to earth in the form
of promise
in place of despair.
I saw Matthew run laughing from the fence post
I heard Emmitt whistling his little tune
and James was unchained from the truck
I saw worshipers at Mother Emanuel praying
and I saw Dylan getting the help he needed
I saw the men of Pulse dancing
with joy and freedom
and I saw the children of Alleppo
sitting down to read beside their parents
I saw Zaevion smiling with open arms
and I saw the children of Sandy Hook running
as free as the winds of summer
I saw the suffering
refugees crawling out of
the sea and into warm dry beds
and then came Muslims
arm in arm with Christians
and Jews with Palestinians
and Hindus with Buddhists
and on and on
and I saw that it was good
and that it was right.
But I was exhausted
I wanted no more
and wished to shut the door
when a hand on my shoulder;
the hand of a fellow traveler
asked only to be steadied
in the wind and so I reached
out to them and we stayed
in the wind and blinding light
and it was as it
should be
in the city of promise
when we open
the door for light
to engage our darkness.
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