THE HANDS THAT FIRST HELD MARY'S CHILD
WERE HARD FROM WORKING WOOD
FROM BOARDS THEY SAWED AND PLANED AND FILED
AND SPLINTERS THEY WITHSTOOD
THAT NIGHT THEY GRIPPED NO TOOL OF STEEL
THEY DROVE NO IRON NAIL
BUT CRADLED FROM THE HEAD TO HEEL
OUR LORD, SO SMALL AND FRAIL
WHEN JOSEPH MARVELED AT THE SIZE
OF THAT SMALL BREATHING FRAME
AND GAZED UPON THOSE BRIGHT NEW EYES
AND SPOKE THE INFANT'S NAME
THE TINY BABE IN JOSEPH'S PALMS
CONFIRMED WHAT HE HAD HEARD,
HE'S EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US
THE SAVIOR FOR THE WORLD
AND SO HE MARVELED AT THE SIZE
OF THAT SMALL BREATHING FRAME
AND GAZED UPON THOSE BRIGHT NEW EYES
HE SPOKE THE INFANT'S NAME
