Poem by Lynn Domina
Nativity Scene
after Beryl Cook
No one has told the child
he is
naked, so he stretches his absurd arms
toward floating cherubs. He is
huge, unnatural. His weighty thighs would cascade
over my hands if I tried to hold him,
though his mother looks unfazed,
propping him on her knees as if oblivious
to messages of his divine
paternity. Everyone—angels, baby, mother—
flashes red hair, which I dislike, as I dislike
their blank expressions and poor
muscle tone. I chastise myself
for my harsh judgment, vow
to love at least the sheep, the hungry
ox, the curious donkey. Not one creature
gazes out toward me, solitary
observer, fearful
of their lighthearted play.
Art Information
- “A Flock of Winged Cherubs in the Sky, One Holding a Martyr's Palm” © Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo; public domain.
Lynn Domina is the author of two collections of poetry, Corporal Works (Four Way Books, 1995) and Framed in Silence (Main Street Rag, 2011). She is the editor of a collection of essays, Poets on the Psalms (Trinity University Press, 2011). Her recent work appears or is forthcoming in Nimrod, Alaska Quarterly Review, Kenyon Review, and other periodicals and anthologies. She currently serves as creative writing editor at The Other Journal and is head of the English Department at Northern Michigan University.
