I wrote this as a Christmas/Advent offering for the St. Anselm Society. This year, Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning because I lost my beloved mother. But heaven won her back; the meaning of Christ’s entrance into the world as a Savior is deeper to me now - more significant as I comprehend the brokenness of the world and the craftsmanship of its mender. So this was my meditation on the significance of that singularly sacred night, thousands of years ago.

A Crack

The atmosphere stirred…

A color-laden sky burned.

Tree limbs, like veins, stretched up –

Weaving colors in and out, out and in:

A fire-quilted sky.

Below lay a lady, all in white.

Her Heaven-laden womb churned.

Blood of holiness on holiness poured out--

Flaming skies met tender cries:

Silent Night pulsed with life.

Holy ink spilled across the skies.

The faces of the stars turned.

Holy writ in fleshly form appeared --

Divinity danced, the veil of time cracked:

A holy baby split the night.