EPIC 12.7.2005

WAITING ON THE WEST SUBURBAN TRAIN

Merciful God, forgiver of our foibles,
Forgive the rush of madness here before
WE CELEBRATE the coming of your child.
We are aware -- in our most placid moments --
That all our frenzy does not warm our hearts
As solitude and contemplation would.
We know the downtown multitudes around us
Make us forget the reasons why we came
To stand and wait and elbow through the masses.
I am here at the station, tired and quiet,
Waiting for the west suburban train,
Waiting for home and cocoa and a bath,
Waiting -- ah, I have not forgotten, Blessed One,
For that much longed-for Christ.
Yes, I remember.
- Joshua S. Lang