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Saturday, March 02, 2024

NATIVITY

by Lynn White


A woman dries a baby in a towel after giving the infant a bath inside a tent at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, in southern Gaza, on Jan. 18. AFP via Getty Images via NPR, January 31, 2024


There are no Magi to adore them now,

the women giving birth 

in ramshackle sheds

or freezing tents

or in the rubble

and cold

and dirt

of what’s left.


There are no Magi to bring gifts,

no shepherds to bring succour

to the women giving birth 

in ramshackle sheds

or freezing tents

or in the rubble

and cold

and dirt

of what’s left.


Maybe artists will paint the scene

but I doubt it.

None are needed

when we can already see,

when we already know

and then we don’t see

anymore.



Lynn White lives in north Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice and events, places and people she has known or imagined. She is especially interested in exploring the boundaries of dream, fantasy and reality and writes hoping to find an audience for her musings. She was shortlisted in the Theatre Cloud 'War Poetry for Today' competition and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net and a Rhysling Award. Her poetry has appeared in many publications including: Apogee, Firewords, Peach Velvet, Light Journal, and So It Goes.