Catastrophic Disappearance

The wise men saw the star in the East

Proclaiming the King of the Jews.

Six hundred years in the waiting,

Since their Daniel prepared the way.

Yet the star, which guided the wise men

Directly to the place where the young child was,

Was absent earlier. Hence, their disastrous visit

To mad King Herod.

This is one of those uncomfortable moments

Where the reader wonders . . .

Did the star vanish simply

So the prophecies may be fulfilled?

Out of Egypt I have called my son and

In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation.

And if so, with so much precision,

Why could the prophecies not have been

For good

And not for ill?

Perhaps because the story of Jesus

Is a story of a foreigner, of grief

But also worship, successful quest,

Miraculous provision, invitations

Accepted,

Rejected.

Perhaps the star’s catastrophic disappearance

Accurately foreshadows much of the whole story.