Sunday, December 12, 2010

a baby dedication

A poem I wrote and dedicated to friends of mine here in Harbin who are about to welcome their second child:


A snowy day in cold Harbin
Our feet slow to a crawl
Winter winds growl at our windows
Shoulders bracing for the haul

And yet in our Siberian sphere
We know there is a light
Born years ago to a virgin girl
‘Neath Bethlehem’s stellar night

A canopy of angels sang
Proclaiming our Messiah
Yet in a manger he was displayed
King sent as a pariah

In his mother’s arms he stirred
The stable dust he breathed
Soon walked with sinners and lepers, too
So that they would believe

December’s Son became our Savior
His stripes atoning for our cost
The baby born among the fodder
Became Shepherd to the lost

And as we celebrate the Gift
Formed in the womb of Mary
Our hearts prepare to welcome you
Baby _______, in January

Much like our Lord, you will arrive
Among a darkened land
With hungry souls at every turn
As countless as the sand

This author knows you’ll change the world
If, by your life, will be
Another letter of Godly love
Written to hearts of humanity.

This Christmas season of Twenty Ten
Our thoughts of Holy Child
Give us reason to hope for you
As tender and as mild.