Miracle | A Poem

Honorable Mention in the 2016 ‘Basket of Cheer’ Contest | Grade 12

Outside the world lies,
Barren and cold.
A bitter wind whistles
Through valley and wold,
And frosty stars twinkle
Over sheep in the fold.

The brightest star shines
And sends its rays down
Over a stable
Just outside town,
As the silence is split
By a wonderful sound.

The cry of a Child,
The cry of new life,
Born frail and fragile
To a world full of strife;
His first breath has pierced Him
Like the blade of a knife.

Inside the stable
A voice murmurs low,
The mother, her face lit
With an unearthly glow
The meek, virgin mother,
More pure than the snow.

The Babe settles down,
Lying wrapped in her arms.
Just a child He seems,
To be kept safe from harm.
He yawns and He blinks
And His fingers are warm.

So how is it possible,
How can it be
That such Power lies here
Such love, unfettered and free,
When a slumbering Child
Is all that we see?

Outside the world lies
Where men steal and destroy
And Bethlehem sleeps
As Heaven sings for joy.
For God is alive
In this mere baby Boy.

About Claire Mullan

I am a Senior currently finishing my thirteenth and final year of Seton Home Study. I live in North Texas with my parents, five little sisters, and a darling baby brother. Some of my favorite things are singing, playing the ukulele, writing, starry nights, wind, poetry, purple notebooks, sunsets, the ocean, chocolate, singing, playing the piano, hanging out with my friends, making music in my parish choir, sleeping, analogies, good books, harmonies, musicals, rambling walks, having Deep Discussions About the Meaning of Life, and absolutely everything about being Catholic! I plan to go to the University of St. Thomas in Houston this fall, study music and creative writing, and figure things out from there. I dedicate this short story to the Great Author.