Under my grandmothers tree
a nativity set, stable thatched
with real palm. kings bejeweled
and robed, babe in swaddling
separate from his bed
of cellophane grass,
shredded straw strewn
over cotton snow,
a white-light star aglow
through angel hair and pine.
I played house,
moved the figures from place
to place, the art of display,
preparation I know now
for this setting of creches
we sell in our stores.
When I was six
I lost the babe no bigger
than a thumbnail. That loss
foreshadowing
for shoplifted babes
always the first in the holy family
to go missing.
From Blooming Red
by Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball
preprinted with encouragement.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a major supporter of Wisconsin Regional Writers' Association and the founder of the How To Do It Frugally series.
Instructor for the renowned UCLA Extension Writers' Program
Web site: http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/
