The Flight Into Egypt Poem by Richard Burke

Joseph Has A Dream
An Angel came to Joseph in his dreams:
Arise, take flight, ‘fore Herod finds the child!
Slaughtered innocents, mothers' anguished screams,
The Holy Family flees into the wild;
From Bethlehem to Egypt now exiled;
There to remain in God's protective care,
Till death removes "King Herod the Reviled, "
And paves the way for gospels to declare,
Fulfillment of Hosea's prophesy and prayer!

The Holy Family Flees
A long and trying journey lay ahead,
Behind them, Herod's soldiers in pursuit;
Before them, highway thieves add to the dread;
But Joseph, firm in faith, stays resolute,
Avoiding traveled roads for safer route,
Through Gaza to the River Jordan's shore,
Where sheltering date palms have taken root;
An oasis with water, food, but more -
A safe refuge, for minds and bodies to restore.

The Miracle of The Corn
Refreshed, their trail passes Machpelah's cave,
Father Abraham's final resting place;
Drawing from seed-filled barrels made of stave,
Two local planters sow their fields apace;
With corn that grows by miraculous grace,
From tiny seed to ripe in just one night;
Fooling soldiers, who now give up their chase,
When told Joseph, nearby, but out of sight,
Had passed these fields, when the cornstalks were half this height.

The Miracle of The Tree
On a narrow pathway, along the Nile,
Cooled by the deep shade of a laurel tree,
The Holy Family stops to rest awhile,
Now safe, no further need for them to flee.
Sensing the baby Jesus in its lee,
The mighty laurel's leaves begin to stir,
Its massive trunk folds down like bended knee,
Nature's way of offering gold and myrrh;
All now call this tree "Al-Abed" - "The Worshiper."


Jesus Teaches His Teacher
In Al Bahnassa, at a Hebrew school,
Jesus is asked all his letters to tell,
And interprets each one to share God's rule:
Alif stands for good deeds all must do well;
Wa for the pain of those living in hell;
Ha means forgiveness for those who repent;
Gim for heaven, where the righteous will dwell;
The teacher cries out in astonishment:
"A child of such wisdom needs be heavenly sent! "

The Second Bethlehem
Three years have passed, the Angel comes again,
Herod - dead from maggot-infestation!
The time now here for Christ's redeeming reign;
To willingly die for our salvation;
Innocent blood spilled for our purgation!
No act of man this sacrifice can stem,
Nor Devil thwart by cunning temptation!
Christ's fated journey to Jerusalem,
Starts from a cave Copts call "The Second Bethlehem! "