Place: Mendon (described by the submitter as a small town)
Question: What do the angels see?
Pastorale
On Christmas Eve in Mendon the pale snow
Falls gently past the steeple of the church;
Both white, both quiet, for the swaying bells
Are waiting for the depth of night to chime.
Inside, the congregation sings a hymn.
"It came upon the midnight clear....". Outside
Close pressing in, as if to hear the song
The angels gather. On this holy night
Their thoughts fly long ago and far away ---
A stable in another tiny town;
A baby bringing peace to Earth, goodwill
To all mankind. And yet the angels know
The promise they sang then is still delayed.
Why are they gathered here? What good
Or evil have the angels come to find?
Or are they simply here to sing again
For us who plod along the weary road?
When I Googled Mendon after receiving my prompts, I discovered that there are in fact three Mendons in the US, in New York, Massachusetts, and here in Michigan. And the one in Michigan was named by settlers from both of the others. I also found quickly a picture of a classic steepled white church in one of the Mendons, hence the direction of the poem.
More poems can be found by going to Enbretheliel's blog, since she's hosting this month. (There is a rumor that I'm next.....)
