Earlier this year, I admitted one of my shortcomings to you all—I do not get poetry. I have tried and tried. I’ve tried simple stuff. I’ve tried classics. My friends who are English teachers have tried to help me and have given up in the process!
That being said, every now and then a poem comes along that I get. It’s a snapshot of a moment or a feeling that makes sense to me. At this time last year, I left you all with a poem in the Illuminator and I figured I’d do that again. I love the way that Ted Kooser captures the connection between our Christmas celebrations today and the original Christmas two thousand years ago, seeing it through the eyes of a mail carrier. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
Christmas Mail
By Ted Kooser
Cards in each mailbox,
angel, manger, star and lamb,
as the rural carrier,
driving the snowy roads,
hears from her bundles
the plaintive bleating of sheep,
the shuffle of sandals,
the clopping of camels.
At stop after stop,
she opens the little tin door
and places deep in the shadows
the shepherds and wise men,
the donkeys lank and weary,
the cow who chews and muses.
And from her Styrofoam cup,
white as a star and perched
on the dashboard, leading her
ever into the distance,
there is a hint of hazelnut,
and then a touch of myrrh.
Accessed via https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/55886/christmas-mail, on December 11, 2024.