CHRIST CLIMBED DOWN

The Coney Island of the Mind-A book of Poems by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Below is a poem which I read many years ago by Lawrence Ferlinghetti from “The Coney Island of the Mind”, which was published in 1958. Although I do not recommend his theology, it is important to keep in mind what Christmas is really about. Christmas is about God giving his best and dearest because He loves us despite all of our flaws. As we experience His love, we need to love one another despite the flaws of our brother and sister. This is hard to do at Christmas and it is also hard to do when it is not Christmas as well. Our prayer should be “Help us to love one another.” Jesus is never far from the poor and the humble.

Christ Climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year
and ran away to where
there were no rootless Christmas trees
hung with candy canes and breakable stars

Christ Climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year
and ran away to where
there were no gilded Christmas trees
and no tinsel Christmas trees
and no tinfoil Christmas trees
and no pink plastic Christmas trees
and no black Christmas trees
and no powder blue Christmas trees
hung with electric candles
and encircled by tin electric trains
and clever cornball relatives

Christ Climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year
and ran away to where
no intrepid Bible salesman
covered the territory
in two-tone Cadillacs
and where no Sears Roebuck creches
complete with plastic babe in manger
arrived by parcel post
the babe by special delivery
and where no televised Wise Men
praised the Lord Calvert Whiskey

Christ climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year and ran away to where
no fat handshaking stranger
in a red flannel suit
and a fake white beard
went around passing himself off
as some sort of North Pole saint
crossing the desert to Bethlehem
Pennsylvania
in a Volkswagon sled
drawn by rollicking Adirondack reindeer
with German names
and bearing sacks of Humble Gifts
from Saks Fifth Avenue
for everybody’s imagined Christ child

Christ Climbed down
from His bare Tree
this year
and ran away to where
no Bing Crosby Carollers
groaned of a tight Christmas
and where no Radio City angels
ice skated wingless
thru a winter wonderland
into a jingle bell heaven
daily at 8:30
with Midnight Mass matinees

Christ Climbed Down
from His bare Tree
this year
and softly stole away into
some anonymous Mary’s womb again
where in the darkest night
of everybody’s anonymous soul
He awaits again
an unimaginable
and impossibly
Immaculate Reconception
the very craziest
of Second Comings.

Later, this week, I will be issuing my Christmas post which is entitled “Xmas.” It is written in the style of The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis who is one of my favorite authors.

Meanwhile, I hope that you and your family will have a Merry Christmas!