0266 This One's Only For Those Who Like It Poem by Michael Shepherd

0266 This One's Only For Those Who Like It

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Did Jesus, as a baby, cry?
For was there aught to cry for?
Or were His tears from God’s own holy font,
knowing, what He was here for?

The story speaks of one
who’s seldom seen in Christmas cribs –
one of the first of animals to make praise:
the inn’s pet tabby cat, who, woken strangely
by the faintest sound – yet, not a mouse who stirred –
yawned, stretched, strolled slowly down to check
that in the stable, all was peace…

and it was peace, as peace was ever known.

What could a tabby do but purr?
The Christ Child woke; his lips seemed almost
to form some first and holy word;
gazed at the tabby cat, strange creature
of this strange new world; saw it was good;
and smiled.. and Mary, seeing this, and
hearing in that purr, Creation’s praise,
leant down and with her hands, till then
pressed in her world-bearing humility -
and on the tabby’s forehead
as some mark of christenings yet to come,
fingered the initial ‘M’ – not as some believe,
her name – though happy coincidence, but
the nearest human beings may come
to praising godly human, human God,
with perfect purr of peace. And so and ever since
the tabby bears upon its forehead that sacred
M. You didn’t know? Well, take a look…

And you may wonder why
this god or goddess of the hearth
is not so honoured in the Christmas crib?
Not as some unimaginative people think,
in case it smothered inadvertently
the Christ Child – well, is that likely?
No – it was as peaceful messenger
outside the stable, marshalling in its holy role
the birds and animals who’d first picked up
even perhaps before the shepherds, that
cosmic sound: ‘The stable’s full right now – please form
an orderly queue’ – and I’m sure
I needn’t tell you that this orderly queue, of two by two,
followed the same order as they embarked
and later, disembarked, from – yes, you guessed it -
The Ark.

So this Christmas, if you still have your loved
but battered Noah’s Ark
with all (well, mostly, now) its precious cargo –
line them up around the crib, in an orderly
queue of praise.

How quiet and peaceful,
now, they are!

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Ernestine Northover 17 December 2005

I've got my Ark and my Stable and Crib Michael, so I shall do just that. Lovely poem. Thanks for posting it, definitely different. Love Ernestine XXX

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Simon Whild 17 December 2005

I like it, Michael. An uplifting poem.

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Cj Heck 17 December 2005

Very nice poem, Michael - I looked and you're right, my tabby has the 'M' on his forehead! Again, excellent poem to make people think and feel. Warmest regards and respect, CJ

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Michael Shepherd

Michael Shepherd

Marton, Lancashire
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