Stone creche

Of course now the creche is without a shepherd.  Maybe the extra king can play the part.  We have a plethora of creches from all over the world.  This year we set out only one.  Simply one.  With one nativity it is easier to see the world which surrounds it, including the burning bushes covered in snow, outside the front windows.

Last night we set out

The stone crèche from Kenya

Four kings bearing gifts

Joseph

Disguised as a shepherd.

We thought for years

They forgot Joseph

Entirely.

This year we determined

He was there all along,

Disguised as a shepherd

The same size and stone

As Mary.

The crèche stands

On the straw mat from China,

Next to the round onyx lamp

From Pakistan,

Under Guided by Stars,

A print of an Inuit family

Seeking home on a sled at night,

The sky filled with stars.

Never was the tableau

So appropriate.

The windows beyond

Hold the burning bushes

in this morning's light,

No longer burning

Covered in snow.

I*m glad to find Joseph

And the rest of world

In attendance

This year.