The Johnannine Nativity
by Maren Tirabassi
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God
and the Word was love, or light, or create-this.
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was Hail and Mary.
Manger, jingle, star.
In the beginning was the Word
and it was Qur’an and Ganesh, Yahweh, Tao.
And the Tao was with God and
in the manger was God.
The Hail to a young girl was with the create-this.
All that came into being was Allah,
and the light shone on the Ganges
and there were bodhisattvas
who were not afraid.
In the beginning was the Word,
who let us write it.
The Qur’an was written on the darkness
and the darkness became a Star.
Many men and women were sent from God,
with very many names,
and they pointed and chanted,
burned sage, whirled, sweat,
fasted and prophesied to the love
so that all would believe.
They were words, not the Word,
but they spoke without fear.
The manger child with the crossed-heart
comes into the world
and there is a turning away -
the jealous claiming of the Word
that ends up spitting it out.
But where there is a turning toward,
the listening straw meets the children of God
who are born…
not so much in their own traditions,
as on the articulating breath of God.
Word becomes flesh - dangerous
and so very often divisive
but hope lives among us
and we speak and write its glory,
as long as we do not pretend to understand.
