The Pageant

Lights dim.
Expectancy hushes the house
and flashbulbs wait
to dance in the dark
with parental pride.

Grease paint's lure
and the awe of the Manger
star the eyes
of angels.
Crook'd shepherds
await the announcement,
while toddling
lions and lambs,
spiders, grasshoppers
and ladybugs
flock
into the light
eager to witness the Moment.
With adolescent arms
flailing, Herod roars his rage
to camels and kings alike,
as he stomps
the boards
upstage and down.

In worldly chaos
and surrounded
by restless wonder,
Jesus
is born
again.

-- Joan Peck Arnold - December 1998