Caved Inn of Light
This poetry blog, ‘Simon’s Still Stanza’, exists for all kinds of poetry. At times, because of who I am and the ministry I’m involved in, poems take on a particular tone of religious or spiritual quality. Christmas is one of those times. The following poem is meant for younger readers and is a bit of fun. It tries to pick up some ‘Aussie’ ways and is therefore a bit ‘ocker’. What I attempted to do was to take up some of the scene from Joseph’s musing over the story in latter days.
Caved Inn of Light
Well, my name is Joseph,
And you asked me for my view,
So I’ll try and give it ‘Aussie’ style,
Since you do like a yarn or two.
Well we got the summons,
From the city, the big smoke,
It came all the way from the Roman Caesar,
Back then there was no bigger bloke.
So we saddled up the donkey,
Took on water and our swag,
And a made a bee-line to Bethlehem,
Before too much time would lag.
We started in the Galilee hills,
Where wallabies or goats might hang around,
Then made our way over the flatter plains,
Where your kangaroos might stand their ground.
We went across a desert,
Where your scorpions might feel at home,
The winds and sand then blasted us,
We felt so dry and alone.
Finally we rose up to Bethlehem,
It was King David’s stomping ground,
We needed to get a room for the night,
Set off and to see what was around.
We knocked upon the doors of inns
Of B & B’s, hostels and all that stuff,
We couldn’t find a room to fit,
And we’d nearly had enough!
When we thought all was lost,
An innkeeper said: “hang about a tick.”
“We’ve got something a little private,
But you can have it if you’re quick!”
They led us to a cave,
Wherein a bunyip might like to hide,
It was all decked out like a stable,
With their animals set up inside.
I sighed within myself awhile,
And heard myself say “yes”.
Then Mary and I settled in,
To try and sort the mess.
It seems that they used this cave
For livestock in winter time,
It smelled like cows and horses,
Yep, the odour was a little prime.
But we found a little manger,
Just the right size for a kid,
And on the straw that had held a harvest
This is what we did.
We laid my love Mary
On straw that had fed stock,
She gave birth to her little baby,
Who had come to tend the flock.
Later, yes, much later,
When I was no longer present,
That baby grew and taught the flock,
Which some would come to resent.
Then they put an end to him,
On a cross upon a hill,
The shepherd became the butchered lamb,
And few gathered at the kill.
They say we go full circle,
We go back to where we began,
Well, when he died, our fella,
Got put in a cave again!
Blow me down, after a few of our sleeps,
They told me that he rose to life anew,
He went back with his mates to Galilee,
So their mission he could renew.
I’m back at the cave again,
I can hardly leave that place,
For in the glow of the firelight,
The light of the world shone on his face.
He was the shining light for many years,
As he helped me make and mend,
The pride and joy of his mother’s eyes,
And towards wisdom did he tend.
You may say this is just legend,
That I’m spinning you some bull,
You bet mate! This is real legend,
Of a life lived to the full.
So when gathered round the fireplace,
And you see light upon a face,
Remember the light on a kid in manger,
Who’s our light of the world and gift of grace.
Simon C.J. Falk 22 December 2015
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