0031 Dawn in Bethlehem on the Morning of Christ's Nativity

This starry dawn - the wise men yet afar -
the shepherds are abed, their night's task done.
Is Mary tired? Or, as one untouched?
All birth's a miracle; not less this one.

The cattle have bestirred at hint of morn,
the thought of feeding making moist their muzzle;
straw is rustling, as they, manger-drawn,
find unfamiliar form- so warm - to nuzzle.

What were the first words Joseph softly said
to Mary, as dawn broke, this day of days?
And who, sent from the inn to cattle-shed
to feed and lay fresh straw, fell still in praise?

How long, this morn, before the murmured sound
of voices in the street, as Word gets round?

(revisited)

poem by Michael Shepherd
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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