St John the Baptist

“Are you the One Who Is to Come?”

Jesus answered,

“Go and tell John

What you see and hear.”

So they did…

We saw a blind woman staring at the back of her hand,

first the palm, then the back,

over and over again,

twisting it like a diamond in the sun,

weeping all the time and saying,

“I can see through tears; I can see through tears.”

 We saw a lame man

bounce his granddaughter

on his knee.

We saw a leper

kiss her husband.

We saw a deaf boy

snap his fingers

next to his ear

and jump.

 We saw a dead girl

wake and stretch

and eat breakfast.

The poor we saw

were not poor.

From “The Man Who Was a Lamp” in Starlight, Beholding the Christmas Miracle All Year Long by John Shea.