Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Journey of the Magi


Prosperos of the East,
They had consulted their tables and books
And realized, of a sudden,
The end was come.

They left their homes and philosophies.
They packed lightly for the arduous trip.
They picked their way on camels and asses toward the West,
Filled with a faith they could not explain.

To honor the miracle even their dark arts could not help but to foretell,
They made their way past bandits and thieves
And wasted time even with a king.
But being wise, and then wiser still, they would heed warnings and go back a different way.

There, beneath the light of an unnatural star--
A quasar bursting celestial joy--
They saw a shadow of sorrow upon the land,
And knew it the beginning of the end
Of everything.

If they grieved, they did so in their hearts and were silent.
They offered Him gifts,
Such as they were,
Symbols: Frankinscence, gold, and myrhh.
They recognized Him the gift,
The something they could not say:
The sacrament
And sign.
And, then, humbly, they disappeared.

4 comments:

Helen said...

I must ask, oh Wise One! Where in the world did you find the spellings you used in this poem? They don't appear to be Olde English.
Merry Christmas!
Helen

gregorbo said...

I have no idea, my dear, what in the world you could mean. . . .

Anonymous said...

Lovely, Greg. Thanks for posting this!

Love,
Katy

gregorbo said...

Cheers, Kate. Merry Christmas.

Greg