If Mary had not heard, had heard
but had not listened,
had understood but not stood
still, had not consented,
had been scared
and scurried from the garden
where he glistened
into the dark house or the dark wood,
worried because the Word he hinted
stirred
uneasily within the ear; if she had erred
and had permitted heart to harden
when, like frost enameled ground, air glinted,
the Word would have been only sound.
Tony Stoneburner
Advent Calendar
Dawn of a New Day