! ! A Business Trip. Sonnet For Epiphany. Poem by Michael Shepherd

Their wives were not too keen about it all:
beyond the call of duty, so it seemed;
for if they read the heavens’ portents so well,
what need of proof; of presence at the scene?

And then, to go without due retinue
through unforgiving deserts, foreign towns,
and forests hiding thieves - and wild beasts too?
And carrying rich gifts? And worse – their crowns!

And so, to risk three kingdoms, not just one?
And this, for sake of some religious creed
not even theirs? … ‘Nay, love – it must be done:
we crown our lives, and kingdoms, with this deed;

these crowns are symbols of our rule on earth
to yield the King of Heaven at His Birth..’