“Down to that littleness, down to all that
My youngest, moments after birth.
Crying and hunger, all that tiny flesh
And flickering spirit–down the great stars fall,
Here the huge kings bow.
Here the farmer sees his fragile lambs,
Here the wise man throws his books away.
This manger is the universe’s cradle,
This singing mother has the words of truth.
Here the ox and donkey and sparrow stop,
here the hopeless man breaks into trust.
God, you have made a victory for the lost.
Give us this daily bread, this little Host.” –Elizabeth Jennings in Laughter, Silence and Shouting
