The Expatriate Minister

Poetry just seems right in Advent. Here’s a contribution of mine…

Instructions for Making Appropriate Preparations

 Light a candle.
Carry a flower.
Hear a song.

Simple when the wick is long and dry,
where the blooms multiply,
with plenty of angels to choose from.

But now the fuel is damp and dark,
here the earth is barren and dead,
and Gabriel no longer comes around.

Then clear some room and
till the ground
and lay the things out to dry on the bushel-baskets

so that
maybe soon
maybe here
maybe we
and our children
and all the people
can

raise a song,
carry a rose,
and kindle the light

again

by Joshua W. Hale, December 2012. All rights reserved. See Creative Commons box to the right for more details on copyright & licensing.