The Light of the World

Oxen ruminated in the darkness,

A donkey closed his eyes and dropped his head,

Startled goats retreated to a corner,

Rudely shunted from their straw-filled bed.

The city slept, while o’er the quiet hillsides

A heavenly panorama was unfurled;

The star of heaven touched a shadowed manger,

And lit a candle that would light a world.

Ruth Glover lives in The Dalles, Ore.