In Darkness

I’ve been having trouble with WordPress.  I can’t leave comments on your pages.  I get an “error” block that tells me to go back and when I do I still get the “error” block.  I don’t know if anyone has experienced this.  Maybe the problem is with my computer.  Frustrating!

This won’t fix the problem and doesn’t really address it; but if want to get in touch with me (especially while I’m not able to reach you via the blog), you may use my e-mail address, clcouch17055@gmail.com.

CLC

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(x = space)

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In Darkness

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A child is born

Into this?

How cruel

Such cruelty

If God should call this down

A child of God

(a child?)

Then why not to cushions

In a palace

For a start?

Why not with special parents

In a prominent family?

Why not with

Advisors and with teachers

Frankly, generals

Standing,

Kneeling

By?

Why not with a well-known name

Conveying might

Mixed with celebrity?

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Bethlehem?

There are two such places

You are inviting debate

And neither is a capital

An important place

For births

Unless by the mother stopped

By happenstance

On the way to Jerusalem

Or Rome

Somewhere we can argue is

The center of the world

Where we can triumph

(two drum beats)

Where are the triumphs?

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Where are the angels

(bells)

Well, there are

The angels

We are frightened

They say

Don’t be afraid

(we are afraid)

Tidings,

Good news?

To our cynic selves we know

There is never good news

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And who are the shepherds?

Smelly men

Who should be outside town

Yet they pass us by

With purpose

What?

Where?

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Bethlehem, again

And we people of the world

Maybe we should follow

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Or, you know,

We could wait for the news

When it’s official

The sky is dark again

With normal night

We have two years

And more,

Should something else

Happen

(two drum beats, bells)

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C L Couch

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A companion piece to yesterday’s.  Another one tomorrow—there you will have a trilogy of liturgy for Advent and Christmas Eve.  Or for some other reason.  Or for none.  Note this verse has sound effects.  They can be left out, I’m sure.

CLC

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Photo by Lasse Møller on Unsplash

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The Peaceable Kingdom

(x = space)

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The Peaceable Kingdom

(Isaiah 11:1-9)

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Cheetahs wouldn’t have

To kill,

And they could run with their

Great speed for delight

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There would not be war,

For everything we wanted

Could be gotten

In a better way

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We’d have peace with each other;

We’d have so much

Extra time

To do good things

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Peaceable admittedly

Is an antique word,

But it speaks to potential

To talent

And to quantity

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Who makes this peace?

God does–

But what shall we have

In the mean time?

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It’s in our time,

Our will

To make it happen

From able to have peace

To having it;

The worth is us and

Our mortal talents

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The Earth burns,

Weapons are secretly supplied

To war:

It is crazed comfort

(in both aspects)

To wait for an apocalypse

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We have now–

Heaven, in fact,

Might be waiting for us

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C L Couch

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Photo by Hari Nandakumar on Unsplash

Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

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