To take on flesh,
 hunger and thirst.
  To learn pain.

Born without words
 the Word, where angels sang
  his cry rose in the midnight air.

He had to learn to trust us
 to feed him, give him drink,
  teach him to speak and walk.

And fed, he preached
 And walked the long walk
  to the cross

and drank the cup.
 His cry to heaven
  hung in the air

until he spoke forgiving words
 and swaddled in his grave
  left us, newborn.

Published in the September 25, 2015 issue: View Contents
Diane Vreuls has published a book of poems, a novel, a collection of short stories, and a children’s picture book. She lives in Oberlin, Ohio.
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