What I wish they had told me about Christmas
By Michellan Sarile-Alagao of the Philippines
It is about being silent.
How else could angels have been heard on high?
It is about being tender
even when the world is not.
It is about waiting and the memory of waiting.
It is about patience and sorrow and tomorrow
while we are exiled to the present.
It is about finding rest wherever you can:
in mangers
in dreams
in nights with only one star.
It is when the Painter stepped into His painting.
It is the Singer trapped in just one song.
It is the Sculptor making Himself still
to live out a lifetime in stone.
It is about a mother keeping things in her heart
and thinking about them often.
It doesn’t matter how bright the star was
or if an army of angels
or just one shepherd boy
sang.
What matters is the first breath He took.
What matters is that He is still the Son of Man.
One day you will say it is too familiar.
One day you will say in frustration:
the lights are too bright
the songs too loud
Be still.
Only close your eyes and look for a quiet place
and whisper to the Grace that hovers over you.
We live in a world haunted by the Ghost of Christ.
Oh Lord, keep haunting us.
May we see you at the corner of our eyes
and in the faces of the tired.
As we remember the night you were born
may You be:
the thrill
the hope
in us
that makes a weary world
rejoice.
This poem, based on Luke 2:1-20, was submitted as an entry in our LittWorld writing contest. Submission guidelines include: “submit an original piece of writing that helps readers see the truth or power of one Scripture passage in a fresh, new way. Use your genre of choice—fiction, nonfiction, poetry, song, prayer, etc. Entries should not exceed 600 words..” Learn more.
Michellan Sarile-Alagao of the Philippines believes that writing helps us heal. She writes about memory, faith, mythology, trauma, womanhood and things in-between. After the Sunstone is her first poetry collection. Michellan has an MFA in Creative Writing, specializing in poetry. She once worked for an organization that provides assistance to women and children survivors of sex trafficking. You can connect with her on Instagram and twitter: @toomichinfo
