But when the Child was born in Bethlehem, since Joseph could not find a lodging in that village, he took up his quarters in a certain cave near the village; and while they were there Mary brought forth the Christ and placed Him in a manger, [source]
Another census
and nomadic rout.
From the Galilee
two Judeans, man
and wife, confirming
lines of ancestry
Into Bethlehem
they pass, recorded
by the gatekeepers.
Some mendicants mark
their climb to the lines
of old dwelling caves
Here they rest as guests
house room ’til such time
her birth pangs begin.
Neighbours gather round
kinswomen look on
and the men retreat
Hooves stamp the stone floor
where she lies and cries
among kin and kine
a straw bed bloodied
her clean blue mantle
to swaddle the babe
Many have observed
this firstborn, boy child.
Herders from the hills
Eastern stargazers
Messianic rune
readers of the text 1
This is their tableau.
They do not see us
witnessing through days
of dark December
gazing evermore
upon that portent.
- see Micah 5: 2-4 ↩︎
For my MTB prompt: Picture this in Six we are writing the Tableau poetry style of 5 syllables per line, 6 lines per verse. A tableau being a carefully composed scene in which characters are entirely oblivious to the viewer. In this seasonal Nativity poem I have aimed to highlight this effect.
PoetryPix 
We actually went with the same theme… but yours was so much better :-)…
that’s very generous of you to say so – thank you!
Hieronymus Bosch and Rubens (I think) the only painters who included a black mystic in their depictions of the nativity. I liked Mary having had to use her blue robe to wrap the child in.
thank you for your feedback – I did not know about the black mystic but there is evidence that the traditional stable is erroneous – most likely the cave dwellings which would include a place for the animals
I wondered at the mention of the caves! History is a muddle most often!
I really like the picture you create from the traditional story! Well done, Laura.
thank you Dwight – I enjoyed revisiting as if a viewer even then
You are welcome!
Laura, I like how you did this, with those at the original having no clue we’d be writing poetry to it millennia later.
precisely Lisa – thank you – it is a very human story too
You’re welcome.
Beautiful journey and story Laura.
many thanks Grace – I rather liked how the form fitted here
beautifully written.
thank you for your appreciation Imelda
Wonderfully descriptive, Laura–with a fabulous ending!
thank you Jennifer – all’s well that ends well!
It is the humanity of the story of Jesus, that has made Christianity so successful in spreading, I think, and you present this nativity tableau perfectly, Laura…
many thanks Andrew – it is the season of the tableau
p.s. without the salvation element, Christianity would just be another human story!!
True, though I prefer to accept only the non-supernatural parts of the tale…
I gathered that Andrew!
Fantastic, you nailed this form
much♡lovr
thank you Gillena