One Man's Web

Rachel

Gospel: Matthew 2:1-23

i saw
sisters in the park
streets away from home with the
new baby and
Mister Four
riding with trainer wheels his
older sister walking ahead with the pram
Mister Four
wrestled across the roundabout by
Rachel
the bike in her other hand brewing a
tantrum on the
corner where he sat wailing
   fortunate for him the bull ant's nest
   is on the next turn
unmoved
Rachel walked away

i remember their father telling us
i like australia because in
afghanistan we
never knew who of us would
come home
alive each day

freedom means you are safe to
leave your little brother alone to
learn he does
not own the world

i think
Herod had no sister when
he was four years old and
never learned a
world spun around him is
no kingdom at all only a
Taliban dream which would
drive him mad and
terrorise even those he once loved and

no one was left to mourn him
he ordered terror squads to
murder dozens when he died so that
someone in the city would be
mourning but even this
came to nothing because his
dying was their freedom and
no one would
kill for him dead because
he was nothing but

before all this
he must kill Mister Four and
all the little children and
anyone filled with spirit because
he is empty and

the Horror continues because
if you must always win you
never hear spirit in your sister you
never find
compassion is life and
mercy is unheard
Herod is born again
one empire at a time and

you kill the whole sanhedrin to
rebuild the temple in
your own image even now
one wall still stands but
you are worse than forgotten
    Herod the Great
    killer of children yet
children play in parks still in the
the shell craters games are played
learning life rehearsing
Emmanuel

Andrew Prior 2016
In previous years...
Matthew 2 - The World is on Our Side! 
Matthew 2:1-12 - The Purpose of Epiphany