…And so at last diplomacy had failed.
The armies bristled, eager to collide;
A few collaborative traitors wailed
For peace, but mostly, others did not heed.
Peace, after all, was far less interesting;
"Besides," they said, "Our God is on our side --
We'll see Him come, the prophets guaranteed --
And all those new bombs need a good excuse for testing."
The heady first advance was soon repelled,
Vast colonies exchanged and planets riven;
Then came the day the mother ship was felled,
And city after city turned to pyre.
The pods filled with the lucky ones to fly,
The mines were set, the fateful order given;
Some poor obedient flunky pulled the wire
And swift galactic fire blossomed in the sky.
Across the barren dark sped one frail flitter.
"There is no God -- or else He does not hear."
The fuel ran short, the accusations bitter;
Hope faded, and the desperate few did blunder
Toward an unfamiliar planet far;
There, dying in the alien atmosphere,
Heard "Christ is born" -- the angel song like thunder
As Earthlings gazed in wonder at the bright new star.
End of Part 1.
Background on An Advent Canticle:
In December 2012, I wrote a series of 25 poems in total (one for each day of December 1-24, plus a Prelude) and posted each one here on Daily Kos as I completed it. The poems dealt with common Christmas themes, as well as with issues highly relevant to Daily Kos readers: commercialism, climate change, and interfaith dialogue, among others. The wonderful feedback and support I received from Kossacks was a big part of what kept me going throughout this project!
It was suggested that I repost them on Daily Kos as a yearly event, and after some thought, I've decided to do so. (If you want to read them all, they're archived here; scroll down to the bottom.) Enjoy!