Epiphany (Matthew 2:1)

I SUPPOSE I WASN'T ON MY BEST BEHAVIOR

BUT A LIFE FULL OF BOOKS AND STAR GAZING

OF DAYS SPENT SLEEPING

AND NIGHTS SKY WATCHING

OF BEING ALONE

OR WITH OTHERS EQUALLY ALONE

OF GROWING OLD WITH BOOKS... AND MUSTY

OF GROWING OLD

WELL AFTER ALL

WE'D HAD A ROUGH JOURNEY

THINGS HADN'T GONE ACCORDING TO PLAN

WHAT WITH NAUSEA FROM THE CAMEL'S ROCKING

AND THE SAND

WELL

WHAT HAD STARTED OUT AS A GREAT ADVENTURE

SOON BECAME

SAND IN OUR SHOES

IN OUR FOOD

IN OUR HAIR

IN OUR CLOTHES

IN OUR BLANKETS

IN OUR UNDERWEAR AND SHOES

EVERYWHERE

SAND

NO GREEN

OH AN OASIS OR TWO

BUT MOSTLY SAND

THEY SAY I SOMETIMES GRUMBLE

WELL MAYBE A LITTLE

AND THEN WHEN WE GOT THERE

THIS JOURNEY TO SEE A KING NEWBORN

NO PALACE

NO PURPLE

NO COUNCILORS

NO COURTIERS

NO COURTS AT ALL

A STABLE

THAT'S RIGHT A STABLE

TWO ORDINARY ADULTS

AND ONE ORDINARY CHILD

MAKING ANIMAL NOISES

AT HIS MOTHER'S BREAST

AND NOTHING ELSE

BUT THIS IS WHERE THE STAR HAD LED

THE STAR BY LEGEND AND DUSTY TOME FORETOLD

A STAR

A BIRTHPLACE MARKER OF A KING

BUT GREATER THAN A KING

GREATER THEN ALEXANDER OR CAESAR

EVEN GREATER THAN THE GODS

GREATER THAN ZEUS OR APOLLO

BUT SUCH A LOWLY BEGINNING

DID HE STOOP SO LOW

TO MAKE HIS LEAP UP HIGHER

BUT MELCHIOR

QUICK AS USUAL WITH HIS TONGUE

SAID MADAM

AND SIR

WE BEG YOU FORGIVE OUR INTRUSION

BUT WE HAVE TRAVELED MANY MILES

TO SEE YOUR SON

AND WOULD YOU DO US HONOR

AND LET US HONOR HIM

WELL THEY WERE QUITE FLUSTERED

AS PEOPLE USUALLY ARE WITH UNEXPECTED COMPANY

AND THEY SET TO WITH STRAIGHTENING UP

AND APOLOGIZING FOR THE ACCOMMODATIONS

BUT SOON WE WERE ENTHRONED

ON THREE BALES OF STRAW

AND THERE WE SAT

NOT KNOWING WHAT TO SAY

THEN MARY SAID TO ME

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HOLD THE CHILD

NOW I HAVE HELD COSTLY TELESCOPES

AND PRICELESS MANUSCRIPTS

BUT BABIES

NEVER

PERHAPS I HELD HIM WRONGLY

I DO NOT KNOW

BUT ANYWAY HE CRIED

AND MORE THAN CRIED

HE WET ALL OVER ME

NOW WHAT CAN BE WORSE

THAN A SOGGY SCHOLAR

OR A WET WISEMAN

BUT CASPER BEGAN TO GIGGLE

JOSEPH HAD TO TURN AWAY

MELCHIOR HAD COMPLETELY LOST CONTROL

AND MARY

I WATCHED THE TIREDNESS LEAVE HER EYES

TRIED NOT TO

BUT LOST AND LAUGHED

A BEAUTIFUL RINGING LAUGH

WELL

AFTER THAT WE HAD A LOVELY VISIT

I LEARNED TO HOLD HIM MORE EXPERTLY

AND DRY

I'M SORRY I MET THEM SO LATE IN LIFE

SO CLOSE TO THE SUNSET OF MY YEARS

I'D HAVE LIKED TO WATCH HIM GROW

THIS NEPHEW MINE

FOR WAS I NOT AN UNCLE NAMED

IN HONOR OF MY WETTING

I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO WATCH HIM GROW

TO SEE IN HIM MY YOUTH RENEWED

TO SEE THE WORLD WIDE EYED AGAIN

TO SMELL A DAISY

OR WATCH A BUMBLE BEE GO

PERHAPS I COULD HAVE TAUGHT HIM

AND THEREBY EXTEND MY YEARS

A SORT OF IMMORTALITY

I HOPE THAT LIFE IS GOOD TO HIM

THIS NEPHEW MINE

THAT MEN WILL GROW TO LOVE HIM

BUT MOST OF ALL

WHEN MY MOST LONELY THOUGHTS PREVAIL

I WISH THAT HE WERE MINE

Frank A Vollmer