Children
written by: Dennis Maulsby
Clustered in and around
a brown leather recliner,
the family children
gather for a story before bed.
A girl-child in furry-footed pajamas
rests her cheek on a wool-robed arm.
Eyes half-closed, images of a slow ballet
in her mind to the rhythm of the words.
Stretched out on the rug,
chin near slippered feet,
a dog-child twitches an ear
when he recognizes a word or two.
Curled head to tail,
a cat-child soaks-up lap-warmth,
remembers earlier shared milk and cookies
weaves a purring spell around the group.
On a nearby table
a fish-child floats at tank-side,
watches the flash of colored pages,
feels the vibrations of a gentle voice.
The father-child reads a story
about a long-ago time in a far away stable
when humans and animals were children together,
safe and at peace in the glow of the Christ Child.
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