It is a cold January morning
The day of the three kings’ arrival
At the stable where the baby Jesus
Lies in the straw
So many visitors have already come
Choirs of angels shepherds from the treeless hills
Crowds of the merely curious
Wanting to know what all the fuss is about
And now these three out-of-towners
Roaring up in their luxury sedans
Bestowing lavish gifts of absolutely no use
To a newborn baby but
Perhaps convertible into hard currency
That could well come in handy
When the young family embarks upon
Its hasty getaway to a safer locale which
Will turn out to mean
Only a temporary stay of execution
Because the State is very patient and in the end
The State will have its way
Buff Whitman-Bradley's poetry has appeared in many print and online journals. With his wife Cynthia he is co-producer/director of the award-winning documentary film, Outside In, and co-editor of the forthcoming book About Face: GI Resisters Turn Against War (PM Press, 2011). He is also co-producer/director of the documentary Por Que Venimos.
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