Hope

Shall I go out again
on Christmas eve
to stand upon the nearby hill
and pray to hear what once occurred
near Bethlehem
occur once more:
 
a host of heaven’s messengers
in purposed travel from afar
intent to breach the barrier  
between the starry realm above
and all the bonds of earth
sing chorused wonders to the world
of God’s redemptive love?
 
I’ve trod this way before
when I was young
(and several times since then)
and fervently looked up,  
so locked in hope
to see a gloried rent within the sky
but then the only thing  
I came to know
was God’s abandonment.