Mary's Song
by Luci Shaw
Blue homespun and the bend of my breast
keep warm this small hot naked star
fallen to my arms. (Rest …
you who have had so far to come.)
Now nearness satisfies
the body of God sweetly. Quiet he lies
whose vigor hurled a universe. He sleeps
whose eyelids have not closed before.
His breath (so slight it seems
no breath at all) once ruffled the dark deeps
to sprout a world. Charmed by doves' voices,
the whisper of straw, he dreams,
hearing no music from his other spheres.
Breath, mouth, ears, eyes
he is curtailed who overflowed all skies,
all years. Older than eternity, now he
is new. Now native to earth as I am, nailed
to my poor planet, caught
that I might be free, blind in my womb
to know my darkness ended,
brought to this birth for me to be new-born,
and for him to see me mended
I must see him torn.
3 comments:
Beautiful! We can't even begin to imagine what Mary felt. She knew her SON was someone special when He was born, but had NO IDEA who He, or she, would be suffering within a few years.
Outstanding. That might very well be the best Christmas poem I've ever read. And that Ethopian icon is absolutely beautiful. THis whole post uplifted me. Thank you!
I agree with Molly, the icon is beautiful. I was reading a vintage children's religious book and came upon the birth of Christ. Mary fell asleep, was awoken by the singing of angels and found a baby, Jesus, laying next to her! All I could think, was, what a disappointment! Who wants to have a child in such a painless, thoughtless way? I'm still mulling over this book.
But your poem was just lovely. Mary is gaining a foothold in my Protestant raised heart.
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