On the Ninth Day of Christmas

Sojourners Magazine, Jan 2004 by Robertson, Marilyn

Rain tick tocks in the downspouts.

We rise to ordinary time too soon returned.

Yellow buses take children away

to periodic tables, uncomfortable desks.

Bad news arrives on the gravel, wrapped in plastic.

These last four days of wonder, always lost.

Before the parade has ended, we are halfway home

preparing to steer our little barks of resolution

out into a new sea as deep and unpredictable as the old.

We hover on the edge of epiphany.

In a pasture a shepherd will pause and reflect

on his solitary life surrounded by wool, and ancient

kings yield up treasure to a boy gathering stones.

all kinds of miracles will display their wares

disguised as clothespins or piano keys.

No one will ask, what is the purpose of my life?

In a sudden burst of certainty, julian shouts

from her window in the 14th century, "All shall be well!"

be within shouting distance. For this moment,

be exactly who you are, holy and aflame.

Marilyn Robertson is a northern California poet and folksinger who brings traditional songs and stories into elementary school classrooms.