Put out the Flags

Put out the flags and ring the bells –
tonight’s the night the angels will
parachute down to Bethlehem
and seal a safe zone there until

when daylight comes they’ll fade away
as shepherds head for barren hills
and foreign magicians, needing sleep,
check in at luxury hotels

and it’s hard to believe that anything’s changed
and it’s far away and long ago
and you know it isn’t history,
that they spiced things up, but even so

put out the flags and ring the bells
and think about how, deep inside,
the stubborn hope won’t go away
they nailed a truth, although they lied.


Tom Vaughan

 
If you have any thoughts on this poem, Tom Vaughan would be pleased to hear them.