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The morning after angelsSt. Joseph sanded wood,Nailed smooth boards at right angles,And though the crib was rude, It was a vast improvement On donkey’s feeding trough; The craftsmanship was...

You’re rising somewhere in the April night Again, as ever with returning spring. Your tomb will be found empty at first light Again. The dead cells of Your corpse...

He scrubbed the trough and filled it with fresh hay.The midnight sky was bright and hard and raw; The constellations danced above cold clay. That night the heavens put...

In truth, I was not born to royalty;My power came from pleasure and my smile.I used my supple body to beguileA bookish, awkward prince who spoiled meAnd I became...

I need tidings of comfort and of joy;Please play me “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.”I don’t like “Silent Night”; it’s like a dirge;“Sleep in Heavenly Peace”? Eternal rest.The Christmas...

10:59. The seconds slowly trudgeOver the top of the eleventh hourWhen shells and whiz bangs cease their lethal shower;We hold our breath and watch the minute budge.The church bells...

I planted snowdrops forty years agoWhen I was fourteen; early March they driftAcross the garden, poking through the snow.I see them springing, and my spirits lift.I see them blooming...

September 1:  Though acorns start to fall,And equinox is still three weeks away,We lose the evanescent light of day;Despite bright mornings, night begins its sprawl.October 1: The pumpkins are...

I wonder who taught Salome to dance,To wave her arms, to drop her final veil.For all her grace, she somehow disenchants. She’s sinuous and snakelike; no romanceRuns through her...

The Lord God, the Almighty, simply said,“Do not eat any fruit from this tree. ItMay taste delicious, but its aftertasteWill make you realize that you ate in haste,And you...

I must believe that You rose from the deadFor if You didn’t, then what hope is thereTo raise me from the gutter of despairOut of the sod from which...

My Lady, Queen of Heaven, Queen of Earth,I weave for you a crown of white muguet.Delightful, fragrant, quiet bells of mirthI twine for Mary garlanded in May. Madonna, Fairest...

On Halloween we shouted “Trick or Treat” And held out plastic pumpkins for our loot. We’d say our thank-you’s nicely and we’d scoot To neighbors’ houses farther down the...

Each year I shroud them in their bubble wrap, The kings next to the shepherds and their sheep. The donkey’s head lies in Melchior’s lap; I settle them for...

I am the maid of Lady Claudia. She’s not an easy mistress, but she’s fair. I smooth her mantle, fix her fibula, And pin her pearls into her piled...