Narrative

let me tell you the greatest story ever
as true as it is world-changing

it takes place one winter night in a stable
some two thousand years ago

except it wasn’t likely winter or even in a stable
and maybe not exactly two thousand years ago

these three kings saw a star

well, I don’t know if there were three of them
and they certainly weren’t kings at all
I don’t know where that detail came from

sorry…

with all these traditional details
added in over the centuries
I’m forgetting the world-changing point of the story

it’s not about getting gifts
it’s not about being nice
it’s not about fat men or little helpers
it’s not about cookies and winter spice
it’s not about magic top hats
it’s not about trees, snow, or ice

with all these additional messages
from movies and television specials
I seem to have lost the narrative


Poetry Scales 177