Epiphany

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