Christmastide (The Twelve Days of Christmas)
by Michael Romani

Now are the days of Christmastide
These twelve days of mirth without mischief
Lead in a path of symbolic gifts

To the day the wise men visited
That most sacred of babies
Who with a smile and startled cry

Simply lay in His manger
Seemingly unaware of being king of kings
Or that He was and remains God

On receiving gifts of Frankincense, myrrh and gold
He cooed His appreciation just the same
As though He received blessings a baby would want
Like a rattle, stuffed cuddle lamb, and warm blanket

Such is the graciousness of God
Even as a baby laying in a manger

We remember this in a celebratory Christmas carol
Cataloged as Roud Folk Song Index Number 68
Sung before eating the mince pie and twelfth cake

A red legged partridge rests
In the branches of a juniper tree
Like those notorious three French hens

This suggests the carol's foreign nature
But no one objects as we sing this as our own

II

Within the 12, remains the octave
The eighth day of resurrection
An octagon for the second coming
A continuing Christmas story
Of birth and rebirth
In all of its glory
From tabernacles to tomb
This reckoning feast
Baptizes each of us
In a sacred dedication of the temple
Found in you and me

In a confused catechism
With no more seriousness
Than to ascribe meaning 
To a flavored candy cane
A tale meant for memorization
Took on such meaning 
As to cause a schism

Argued to the point of absurd aggressiveness
That made its holier points almost inane
Truth became mixed with imagination
All of this well intentioned at cost to the truth
Lessons of value lost to those demanding proof

III

In these twelve days
There did indeed become a new dial
As our true love's Christmastide
Arrives with the Epihany of the Three Kings
A babe in a manger brings together 
The old and the new
Faith, hope and love form the birthday cake
Each of these remembered for heaven's sake...

(c) January 04, 2014 MichaelRomani
All Rights Reserved