Poet’s showcase

Wintergrace
By Barbara Seaman

“While shepherds watched
their flocks by night
all seated on the ground,
the angel of the Lord came down
and glory shown around.”

In lieu of sheep, try watching sparrows
flutter-kick across an immaculate
snowcrust in early milk-to-strawberry light,
not one fallen, all of them puffs
of noisy joy and singsong, flinging
high-pitched decrees, pip, pip, ordering
the sun up like the kings they aren’t,
will never be.

But no matter.
This December morning when rose
is not a flower and kings seem common,
even the sun in gold-fringed glory
would oblige a single sparrow, and so
slides skywise into view, crowning
like a baby’s head amid much twitter,
while over the frozen world, yellow rays
spill like straw.

— Barbara Seaman is a writer living in Lawrence. Submit your poetry via e-mail with a subject line of Poet’s Showcase to mpaget@ljworld.com or send typewritten (not handwritten) submissions to Mindie Paget, 645 N.H., Lawrence 66044, attn: Poet’s Showcase.