“And the darkness”

A mild coming we had of it.

Earth stood hard as
the steaming cattle
dung on the stable floor.

The silent stars so
faint, we nearly
missed the light

of the hungry babe,
wailing for the withered
world he had come to
save.

Clare Bryden “And the darkness”, Time of Singing, Volume 51 Number 3, Winter 2024/25.