Cradle of Love: An Ode to Christmas

It’s not when he came
Not his time of birth that matters
But that he came
Formed his throne in fame forever
Little babe, little sage,
Little cradle made of stone

Holiday fervor with
Capital’s seduction
Mass produces our nativity
Into
dysfunction as a scene
Rather
Than our story,
proves Epiphany:

three, no
twenty wise men
star gazers, Zoroastrian
poets from the Orient to invade one
Occidental town
Whose newly-crowned king
strikes fear in a once-bold
Herod, a grippa fear holds him, waging
War with firstborns
babes helpless to onslaught
wrath which,
However gripped by fear,
Won’t last the night…

Our star beckons
Twelve shepherds,
God’s angels reckon words by Him
For His manger clothes aren’t
Mangy, but a robe whose train
chugs glory.

Our story’s a twelve-year
old lost in a temple, unalone
accompanied by riddled rabbis.
He teaches his teachers.
Parents left, said he when found
“I’m here for Father.”

People loved him
A man, hilarious, life of
parties — healing, feeling
pangs of poor,
loosing chains.
People hated him
This man, vicarious over word-
traps. Calling himself The
Rest, Land, Word,
Law, Bread, Life,
Drink, Love, Gate, Light,
Shepherd, Vine, Way,
Jubilee.

Heretic.

Crazy, bane, sore in our side,
they’ll make him king
if he stays.

Chains came on a night
surrounded by saints & scoundrels friends and
fouls watching his silent march
up the incline of a skull…

Scourged, taunted,
forgotten when guards
put his own clothes on him
yet they weren’t rags
but the robe whose train
chugs glory.

He locked his jaw, obeyed death,
to rule it
in time.

See him stand
At week’s turn with holy hands, side,
grave-clothes known only as a robe
Whose train chugs glory,
whose train now
rolling out its tomb.

It’s not when he came
Not his time of birth that matters
But that he came
Formed his throne in fame forever
Little babe, little sage,
Little cradle made of stone

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Quick note from Lance about this post: when you choose to comment (or share this post with your friends) you help other readers just like you.

How?

Well, see, your comments & sharing whisper a few things to those who come after you:

The first is that this site is a safe place to speak up & stay curious. That it's civil. That discussion is encouraged. That there's no such thing as a stupid question (being a student of Socrates, I really and truly believe this). That talking to one another and growing together is more important than anything we could possibly publish. That the point is growing in virtue and growing together and growing wise. That discovery is invention, deference is originality, that we all can rise together. The only folks I'm going to take comments down from are obvious jerks who argue in bad faith, don't stay curious, or actively make personal attacks. And, frankly, I'd rather we talk here than on some social media farm — I will never show ads and the only thing I'm selling anywhere on the site or my mailing list is just the stuff I make.

You're also helping folks realize that anything you & they build together is far more important than anything you come to me to read. I take the things I write about seriously, but I don't take myself seriously: I play the fool, I hate cults of personality, and I also don't really like being the center of attention (believe it or not). I would much rather folks connect because of an introduction I've made or because they commented with one another back and forth and then build something beautiful together. My favorite contributions have been lifelong business and love partnerships from two people who have forgotten I introduced them. Some of my closest friends NOW I literally met on another blog's comment section fifteen years ago. I would love for that to happen here — let two of you meet and let me fade into the background.

Last, you help me revise. I'm wrong. Often. I'm not embarrassed to admit it or worried about being cancelled or publicly shamed. I make a fool out of myself (that's sort of the point). So as I get feedback, I can say, "I was wrong about that" and set a model for curious, consistent learning, and growing in wisdom. I'm blind to what I don't know and as grows the island of my knowledge so grows the shoreline of my ignorance. It's the recovery of innocence on the far end of experience: a child is in a permanent state of wonder. So are the wise: they aren't afraid of saying, "I don't know. That's new: please teach me." That's my goal, comments help. And I read all reviews: my skin's tough, but that's not license to be needlessly cruel. We teach one another our habits and there's a way to civilly demolish an idea without demolishing another person: just because I personally can take the world's meanest 1-star review doesn't mean we should teach one another how to be crueler on the internet.

For three magical reasons — your brave curiosity, your community, & my ignorance:

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