Photo from a Nativity Scene‘Nativity Scene’ and Other Christmas Eve Poetry by Margaret Coats The Society December 24, 2022 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 43 Comments . Nativity Scene The hour draws near to midnight, and a priest Completes his preparations for the feast, Assisting at last practice with the choir, Inspecting layout in a makeshift stable, Checking on the altar boys’ attire, And bringing out the Babe his arms will cradle. “This Child comes here to supernaturalize Men of good will beyond mere sin’s remission, And gives me most: I bear His godly guise And exercise His high maternal mission. His people come here starving to be fed And formed by me in likeness to their Head. “Beforehand I hear many a confession, Say vesting prayers, then candlelit procession Leads me to lay the Infant in the crib. How warm these eyes that mystically perfect My spirit’s joy, and make my words equip Those who consume the Body I confect.” “It’s late, and He leaves gifts for every soul. My sermon was perhaps too glib; He’s cold. Here, let me wrap you in a silken stole. Still chilly? A scarf feels warmer, fold on fold. Sleep sweet and snug tonight; I’ll leave it on Until the shepherds come for Mass at dawn.” . “Confect the Sacrament” is the precise term for what a priest does at Mass in consecrating bread and wine to be the Body and Blood of Christ. . . Evergreen Interlude To dwellers in a wood, almost every species of tree has its voice. ―Thomas Hardy The spruces rustle rustically, The noble fir trees birr, The pines repine theatrically As boreal blasts recur. The cypress creaks in threnody And cedar needles shush; Frost cracks grand redwood rhapsody, And whiffles husky slush. The cold magnolia hesitates To moan, when aches a bough; The mossy live oak susurrates Wild wind in full-blown sough. The holly, sharp leaves glistening, Scratches at the snow; The lively ivy, listening, Whistles with mistletoe. Blue juniper blurts jealously, Muting the olive’s coo, While arborvitae zealously Breathes counterwafts to yew. . . Margaret Coats lives in California. She holds a Ph.D. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University. She has retired from a career of teaching literature, languages, and writing that included considerable work in homeschooling for her own family and others. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Trending now: 43 Responses Paul Buchheit December 24, 2022 Very nice, Margaret. “Evergreen Interlude” makes me feel like I’m walking through a snowy pine forest! Reply Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Thank you, Paul, and have a Merry Christmas listening to frosty forest voices as you walk! Reply jd December 24, 2022 Enjoyed both, Margaret. You are blessed to write so well of God and His many gifts. Reply Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Many thanks, jd, and may God grant you an especially blessed feast of Our Lord’s Nativity. Reply Sally Cook December 24, 2022 The cold magnolia hesitates? Of course. And the holly scratches at the snow. – you are a wise woman, Margaret — of course trees have voices, personalities, even spirits. When in New York, I often felt sorry to see one ; girded by cement-they looked so lonely. And the other evokes my days as a church organistLovely poems , and a Merry Christmas to you. Reply Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Merry Christmas to you, too, Sally! In “Under the Greenwood Tree,” Thomas Hardy claims that the holly whistles, but the one in my back yard has another personality. No matter how gently I try to clip a very few of her younger branches for a wreath, I get multiple pricks and scratches. But it is wonderful of her to have both red berries and tiny white flowers along with classic green leaves at this time of year. Happy New Year, as well. Reply Cynthia Erlandson December 24, 2022 “Nativity Scene” is quite moving; and “Evergreen Interlude” is magical in its musicality, with so much uplifting alliteration and consonance. Reply Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Thanks so much, Cynthia, for finding “Nativity Scene” moving. A priest who truly lived the liturgy told me the story of how he thought the image of the baby Jesus looked cold late at night after Christmas Midnight Mass. He first tried using a suitable liturgical cloth as blanket, but the baby was still cold, and the priest’s own soft woolen scarf solved the problem! I was touched to realize how much this man could think theologically, yet feel the sacramentality of every little thing used in church celebrations. The word “confect” is in the poem because he loved it as conveying the sweetness of the Eucharist. Reply Roy Eugene Peterson December 24, 2022 “Nativity Scene” is a wonderful portrayal of how some priests must perceive their preparatory duties while feeling in the spirit of the moment by keeping the baby warm! I am taken by the alliteration and the masterful command of the English language including two words new to me in “threnody” and “susurrates.” I love how you put the voices to each evergreen tree species, plus The lively ivy, listening Whistles with mistletoe.” Reply Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Roy, now that you suggest it, I can understand that a good priest’s comprehensive joy in the service of God must be something like paying careful attention to God’s creation, even in little things such as listening to trees. Both are happy tasks because they depend on the freedom of unselfishness. Thanks for your appreciation of the poems, and have a Merry Christmas! Reply Roy Eugene Peterson December 25, 2022 Such pleasant thoughts! Merry Christmas, Margaret! Mary Gardner December 24, 2022 Margaret, thank you for these beautiful, peaceful works. Reply Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Thanks for your lovely words, Mary, and may your Christmas be beautiful and peaceful! Reply Julian D. Woodruff December 24, 2022 Lovely and expertly crafted, Margaret. You tell us that when Isaiah spoke of rejoicing mountains (ch. 55) he was thinking also of the trees that grace them. Reply Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Thank you, Julian, for the praise of my poem–and you are quite right about the Bible. The Douay version of Isaias 55:12 is closest to the Hebrew, and it says, “The mountains and the hills shall sing praise before you, and all the trees of the country shall clap their hands.” Merry Christmas to you and to all the trees in your country! Reply Jeffrey Essmann December 24, 2022 Thanks so much for these, Margaret. They’re both beautiful, each in its own way. As someone who’s preparing to read at his parish’s Midnight Mass tonight (at 10 o’clock…), I very much appreciated both the sentiment and the theology of “Nativity Scene”. And “Evergreen Interlude” tapped into a very deep, very peaceful place that draws me to the woods every weekend (I live in the greenest part of Manhattan; the island’s only patch of natural forest is right behind my building). I especially resonated with “…live oak susurrates”. It’s one of my favorite sounds, and always reminds me that the oak was sacred to Zeus, and his priests would listen to the rustling of its leaves to discern messages from the god. A most merry and blessed Christmas to you. Reply Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Blessed Christmas to you too, Jeffrey. Hope your Midnight Mass reading went beautifully and conveyed inspiration to those who heard you and God’s message through your words. The theology behind the second stanza in “Nativity Scene” comes from Matthias Joseph Scheeben on the priesthood in his Mysteries of Christianity. Scheeben is not always easy to read, but he gives a most thorough appreciation of our Faith to those who make the effort. He seems to me the greatest mind in relatively recent Catholic theology, and as far as I have read, entirely free of modernist tendencies and errors. That may be because he was first of all a man of prayer! Reply Brian Yapko December 24, 2022 Margaret, what stunningly beautiful poetry you have given us a Christmas offering! I very much enjoyed “Evergreen Interlude” with its personification of some rather expressive trees. The end effect which, though not explicit, is one of a forest choir. And though it may not have been your intent, I am reminded of Luke and the idea that it is not only human beings who may sing when Christ enters Jerusalem! I am even more delighted by the earnest, quiet beauty of your “Nativity Scene” which respectfully invokes theology but lightens it into pure bliss by having the priest clarify what it is all actually about. “He leaves gifts for every soul” is a line I will long remember. And those tender words to the Baby Jesus as he is tucked into his manger-bed are so heartwarming. Merry Christmas, Margaret. Reply Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Brian, I’m very merry that you understand the priest-speaker in “Nativity Scene.” As a true man of God, he moves easily from pastoral concerns to doctrinal thinking to personal intimacy with divine mysteries, at Christmastime the mystery of the infant Jesus. It is real to him, so real that he wants the baby to be warm, and expects the shepherds to arrive soon. The second Mass of Christmas, early in the morning, is the Mass of the Shepherds, just as Midnight Mass is the Mass of the Angels. I call my second poem here an interlude because we hear the evergreens speaking, each in its own way, between midnight and dawn. You are right to recall Jesus’ words on Palm Sunday, when some persons rebuked His disciples for “overpraising” Him. He will not tell them to be silent because if He did, even the stones would cry out. And if stones with no life in them can give praise to God, surely creatures who have received life from God are able to do so. A blessed Christmas to you and yours! Reply Norma Pain December 24, 2022 Beautiful poetry Margaret. I really appreciated Evergreen Interlude’s descriptive words for the various trees. Thank you. Reply Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 So glad you like the works, Norma. Thanks for commenting, and I hope you are having a happy Christmas! Reply Joseph S. Salemi December 24, 2022 Excellent work — “Nativity Scene” presents a vivid picture, while at the same time explicating important doctrinal truths in the three stanzas spoken by the priest. And by varying the rhyme scheme in each stanza, Margaret avoids making the explication too overly didactic. The priest’s words sound natural, and unforced. I really love “Evergreen Interlude,” which shows what an accomplished poet can do with a catalogue poem. I count fifteen trees or bushes, and the language is studded with acoustical terms that dazzle with their rarity and elegance. These carefully picked words really do give a “voice” to the individual trees. Reply Margaret Coats December 26, 2022 Thanks, Joe. There is a certain risk of sounding unnaturally doctrinaire as the priest speaks of God’s great gift to himself, and I am glad you find what he says unforced. I tried to have his words flow easily from doctrine (mostly in the second stanza) to practice to spiritual emotion he might naturally feel on the great occasion of Christmas Eve. As well, I as poet could have been overinterpretive about what the evergreens say, ending with an omniscient “moral” observation, but I hid it within the symbolism of the species. As you know, the name “arborvitae” means “tree of life,” and that tree breathes counter to “yew.” The yew is a typical churchyard tree, and it has thus acquired an association with death, even though it is planted in burial grounds to signify life by its evergreen foliage. “Yew” in my poem also means “you,” the reader, with the arborvitae wafting life-giving significance to you. Have a blessed Christmas season! Reply Joseph S. Salemi December 26, 2022 The yew may have also gotten some of its associations with death from the fact that it was the wood of choice among medieval English archers for making bows, and English soldiers with their longbows of yew wood were universally dreaded as deadly in battle (ask the French about Crecy and Agincourt!) I understand yew wood was in such demand by the sixteenth century that England had to import it from the forests of Germany to keep their military archers supplied with longbows. Margaret Coats December 26, 2022 Thanks for this additional comment, Joe. I relied on having seen yew trees in dozens of old churchyards in England, especially right around lych-gates where a coffin might have rested for the last time above ground. But your information sent me to my symbolism reference books, where I found that yews were funerary trees and tokens of war to Celtic peoples because of their dark color, toxic berries, and wood suitable for spears and shields. The English longbowmen followed ancient traditions of weaponcraft! Susan Jarvis Bryant December 24, 2022 Margaret, both beautifully written poems have wrapped me in the wonders of the world at Christmastime. I love the gentle splendor of ‘Nativity Scene’ that brings with it a humbling, heart-touching reverence for the sheer magnitude of this miracle. ‘Evergreen Interlude’ is a poem that sings to me… literally. Your expert use of alliteration brings a musicality to the words that when read aloud become an instant aural blessing. Your masterly use of assonance has a magical effect that has left me in awe of your Christmas gift to your readers… a superlative poem that I wish I had written myself. A very Merry Christmas to you, Margaret! Reply Margaret Coats December 26, 2022 May you and yours have a happy and merry Christmas season for all twelve days, Susan! Thanks for your appreciation of my poems, especially for the great praise of “Evergreen Interlude.” I did not make up any words for it, but only used sounds heard by tree listeners who pay attention to such things. Of course I heeded their advice to listen to my front yard pines and back yard holly, but I had to trust them for many of the trees included. They are more reliable and sensitive than what we used to call “tree huggers” (radical environmentalists). Do the British use that expression, or is it an Americanism? Plants do seem to speak more under winter stresses than in other seasons of the year, when they have better things to do! Glad to have their comments on Christmas. Reply Paul Freeman December 25, 2022 Enjoyed both. ‘Evergreen Interlude’ was tree-mendous. Cue Christmas groans! Thanks for the reads, Margaret. Reply Margaret Coats December 26, 2022 Love the puns, Paul, and thanks for your expression of appreciation. Some human beings may be making Christmas groans now, but I wish them the olive leaves’ coo. We have plenty of olives nearby, and I can testify to that sound being made by them, but it must also owe something to the association of dove and olive as symbols of peace. Have a happy and calm Christmas season! Reply Joshua C. Frank December 26, 2022 I love both of these, Margaret, but especially the first. Good priests aren’t honored anywhere near enough. What a perfect image of the kind of priest whose parish I would love to attend! Reply Margaret Coats December 26, 2022 Thanks, Josh, that’s the image I wanted to depict. There’s been plenty of talk about priests losing their proper self-image, and acting as if their role is to be entertainers or buddies or bosses to the parish. This priest can express what he is supposed to be: a mediator between God and man, with responsibilities to both, and a model of personal devotion. I am blessed to be acquainted with some good priests Reply Phyllis Schabow December 31, 2022 Evergreen speaks to me directly. The word “bough” is the meaning of the name, Phyllis. “A green bough.” Ever green, when planted by running waters. And Wood is where my DNA derives from – the maiden name of my grandmother, Rose Wood, one of so many children that they only had given to them first names. “Wood of the cradle, wood of the cross.” You have written magnificently. Once again! Reply Margaret Coats December 31, 2022 Thank you, “Green Bough”! I hope your bough that recently underwent surgery is no longer aching. The evergreen poem is unusual because I try to let the trees do the speaking, just as animals are said to speak (in Latin) at midnight on Christmas. The arborvitae (tree of life) would be the wood of the cradle, and the ominous yew the wood of the cross–at least among those I mention in this poem. I see that I could have added rosewood, an much valued for its red color and dark swirls. Maybe another stanza with more trees in my evergreen forest next year! Reply Phyllis Schabow December 31, 2022 “The Body I confect.” It was this realization that drew my soul out of error and into the perfection of the Church He founded upon earth, “for us men and for our salvation.” Also, the word “confect” reminds me of the word “confection” – which is a drop of sweetness – a candy. He comes to fill us with Himself – the sweetest confection of all sweetness. I pray for the whole world to experience this greatest of God’s gifts – His only begotten Son given by the hand of an ordained priest, to nourish and sustain us in this world of exile. “I go to prepare a place for you,” He promised. You and you and you! Reply Margaret Coats December 31, 2022 May those you are addressing come to thank you for pointing clearly to that ineffable sweetness my poem speaks of! A merry Christmas and happy new year to you, with many receptions of that divine confection! Reply Christina Lesinski January 2, 2023 Mrs. Coats, both of your poems are filled with the magical and peaceful spirit of Christmas! I noticed the themes of “cold” in both poems, which of course captures the nature of wintertime, contrasted by moments of warmth. I love the story that your first poem tells; it’s a perfect closing of Advent and anticipatory entrance into Christmas. Almost a religious spin on “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” especially the way it reflects the quiet and stillness of the night, and the church, as the Priest makes his rounds behind the scenes. “Evergreen Interlude” truly felt like a snowy forest playing music together in a whimsical way, and I could imagine it was lovely music. Thank you for sharing your gift of poetry that you are inspired to write! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Reply Margaret Coats January 2, 2023 Thank you, Christina! Yes, indeed, Christmas is when we are able to see and feel warmth and light come into our world. Our faithful priests do so much to accomplish that, but even the natural world has its contributions. May you continue to rejoice in them during the rest of this blessed season. Reply Laura Lesinski January 3, 2023 Lovely imagery from both poems, Margaret. You’ve captured the essence of Christmas, preparing for holy Mass. Never have I considered the Babe being cold. Holy Priests….the salt of the earth. God bless them all. Reply Margaret Coats January 3, 2023 Thanks for your comment, Laura! It never occurred to me either that Baby Jesus in a church manger scene would be cold–until a priest told me this story. But some priests, and some others too, really have the gift of entering into the spirit of what we are celebrating. One young priest told me he is glad when the choir sings a long piece, and he has to wait for us to finish. That gives him time to pray privately while Mass is going on. A good reminder to tune ourselves in to God! Reply Tom Rimer January 3, 2023 Beautiful poems both. As for EVERGREEN INTERLUDE, please see my separate e-mail about my pleasure at reading it out loud to our poetry group. Reply Margaret Coats January 4, 2023 Thanks, Tom, for choosing “Evergreen Interlude” to read to your group. I notice you had a vigorous discussion in favor of classic form and technique for poetry. I myself see that young writers (if they are not in a modern literature class or writing workshop) will go to the online rhyming dictionary and produce a poem in regular style whenever they feel the inspiration. May that continue for Christmases and many special occasions to come! Reply Lauren V. Leon January 17, 2023 Dear Margaret, I absolutely love “Nativity Scene.” I have never seen Christmas through the eyes of a Priest so clearly. I have witnessed priests perform their sacred duties quite often, every Sunday in fact. Yet, now I have seen what they might be thinking behind their pastoral sermons and holy vestments. Keeping the Blessed Child warm. Becoming like a child in the process. So heartwarming. I greatly admire “Evergreen Interlude” as well but “Nativity Scene” was especially vivid in my mind. As an uneducated plebian, I am unable to comment on the depth of your work in the garden of words. Reply Margaret Coats January 17, 2023 Thank you for your kind comment, Lauren. I am so glad you appreciate the “Nativity Scene” from one priest’s point of view. Priests have such responsibility for the Mass that we laypersons often forget they must not only coordinate the liturgy for us, but sustain their own devotion with it at the same time. You are by no means uneducated! I saw your bio at your own “Christmas Story” post, and I admire the breadth of learning you have achieved. I welcome anything any reader wants to say about my poetry, because varied perspectives come up with different interpretations that sometimes show the poet what he has done without knowing it. From my point of view, once the poem is given to readers, many valuable readings are possible, even though the poet did not intend them all! Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Paul Buchheit December 24, 2022 Very nice, Margaret. “Evergreen Interlude” makes me feel like I’m walking through a snowy pine forest! Reply
Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Thank you, Paul, and have a Merry Christmas listening to frosty forest voices as you walk! Reply
jd December 24, 2022 Enjoyed both, Margaret. You are blessed to write so well of God and His many gifts. Reply
Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Many thanks, jd, and may God grant you an especially blessed feast of Our Lord’s Nativity. Reply
Sally Cook December 24, 2022 The cold magnolia hesitates? Of course. And the holly scratches at the snow. – you are a wise woman, Margaret — of course trees have voices, personalities, even spirits. When in New York, I often felt sorry to see one ; girded by cement-they looked so lonely. And the other evokes my days as a church organistLovely poems , and a Merry Christmas to you. Reply
Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Merry Christmas to you, too, Sally! In “Under the Greenwood Tree,” Thomas Hardy claims that the holly whistles, but the one in my back yard has another personality. No matter how gently I try to clip a very few of her younger branches for a wreath, I get multiple pricks and scratches. But it is wonderful of her to have both red berries and tiny white flowers along with classic green leaves at this time of year. Happy New Year, as well. Reply
Cynthia Erlandson December 24, 2022 “Nativity Scene” is quite moving; and “Evergreen Interlude” is magical in its musicality, with so much uplifting alliteration and consonance. Reply
Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Thanks so much, Cynthia, for finding “Nativity Scene” moving. A priest who truly lived the liturgy told me the story of how he thought the image of the baby Jesus looked cold late at night after Christmas Midnight Mass. He first tried using a suitable liturgical cloth as blanket, but the baby was still cold, and the priest’s own soft woolen scarf solved the problem! I was touched to realize how much this man could think theologically, yet feel the sacramentality of every little thing used in church celebrations. The word “confect” is in the poem because he loved it as conveying the sweetness of the Eucharist. Reply
Roy Eugene Peterson December 24, 2022 “Nativity Scene” is a wonderful portrayal of how some priests must perceive their preparatory duties while feeling in the spirit of the moment by keeping the baby warm! I am taken by the alliteration and the masterful command of the English language including two words new to me in “threnody” and “susurrates.” I love how you put the voices to each evergreen tree species, plus The lively ivy, listening Whistles with mistletoe.” Reply
Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Roy, now that you suggest it, I can understand that a good priest’s comprehensive joy in the service of God must be something like paying careful attention to God’s creation, even in little things such as listening to trees. Both are happy tasks because they depend on the freedom of unselfishness. Thanks for your appreciation of the poems, and have a Merry Christmas! Reply
Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Thanks for your lovely words, Mary, and may your Christmas be beautiful and peaceful! Reply
Julian D. Woodruff December 24, 2022 Lovely and expertly crafted, Margaret. You tell us that when Isaiah spoke of rejoicing mountains (ch. 55) he was thinking also of the trees that grace them. Reply
Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Thank you, Julian, for the praise of my poem–and you are quite right about the Bible. The Douay version of Isaias 55:12 is closest to the Hebrew, and it says, “The mountains and the hills shall sing praise before you, and all the trees of the country shall clap their hands.” Merry Christmas to you and to all the trees in your country! Reply
Jeffrey Essmann December 24, 2022 Thanks so much for these, Margaret. They’re both beautiful, each in its own way. As someone who’s preparing to read at his parish’s Midnight Mass tonight (at 10 o’clock…), I very much appreciated both the sentiment and the theology of “Nativity Scene”. And “Evergreen Interlude” tapped into a very deep, very peaceful place that draws me to the woods every weekend (I live in the greenest part of Manhattan; the island’s only patch of natural forest is right behind my building). I especially resonated with “…live oak susurrates”. It’s one of my favorite sounds, and always reminds me that the oak was sacred to Zeus, and his priests would listen to the rustling of its leaves to discern messages from the god. A most merry and blessed Christmas to you. Reply
Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Blessed Christmas to you too, Jeffrey. Hope your Midnight Mass reading went beautifully and conveyed inspiration to those who heard you and God’s message through your words. The theology behind the second stanza in “Nativity Scene” comes from Matthias Joseph Scheeben on the priesthood in his Mysteries of Christianity. Scheeben is not always easy to read, but he gives a most thorough appreciation of our Faith to those who make the effort. He seems to me the greatest mind in relatively recent Catholic theology, and as far as I have read, entirely free of modernist tendencies and errors. That may be because he was first of all a man of prayer! Reply
Brian Yapko December 24, 2022 Margaret, what stunningly beautiful poetry you have given us a Christmas offering! I very much enjoyed “Evergreen Interlude” with its personification of some rather expressive trees. The end effect which, though not explicit, is one of a forest choir. And though it may not have been your intent, I am reminded of Luke and the idea that it is not only human beings who may sing when Christ enters Jerusalem! I am even more delighted by the earnest, quiet beauty of your “Nativity Scene” which respectfully invokes theology but lightens it into pure bliss by having the priest clarify what it is all actually about. “He leaves gifts for every soul” is a line I will long remember. And those tender words to the Baby Jesus as he is tucked into his manger-bed are so heartwarming. Merry Christmas, Margaret. Reply
Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 Brian, I’m very merry that you understand the priest-speaker in “Nativity Scene.” As a true man of God, he moves easily from pastoral concerns to doctrinal thinking to personal intimacy with divine mysteries, at Christmastime the mystery of the infant Jesus. It is real to him, so real that he wants the baby to be warm, and expects the shepherds to arrive soon. The second Mass of Christmas, early in the morning, is the Mass of the Shepherds, just as Midnight Mass is the Mass of the Angels. I call my second poem here an interlude because we hear the evergreens speaking, each in its own way, between midnight and dawn. You are right to recall Jesus’ words on Palm Sunday, when some persons rebuked His disciples for “overpraising” Him. He will not tell them to be silent because if He did, even the stones would cry out. And if stones with no life in them can give praise to God, surely creatures who have received life from God are able to do so. A blessed Christmas to you and yours! Reply
Norma Pain December 24, 2022 Beautiful poetry Margaret. I really appreciated Evergreen Interlude’s descriptive words for the various trees. Thank you. Reply
Margaret Coats December 25, 2022 So glad you like the works, Norma. Thanks for commenting, and I hope you are having a happy Christmas! Reply
Joseph S. Salemi December 24, 2022 Excellent work — “Nativity Scene” presents a vivid picture, while at the same time explicating important doctrinal truths in the three stanzas spoken by the priest. And by varying the rhyme scheme in each stanza, Margaret avoids making the explication too overly didactic. The priest’s words sound natural, and unforced. I really love “Evergreen Interlude,” which shows what an accomplished poet can do with a catalogue poem. I count fifteen trees or bushes, and the language is studded with acoustical terms that dazzle with their rarity and elegance. These carefully picked words really do give a “voice” to the individual trees. Reply
Margaret Coats December 26, 2022 Thanks, Joe. There is a certain risk of sounding unnaturally doctrinaire as the priest speaks of God’s great gift to himself, and I am glad you find what he says unforced. I tried to have his words flow easily from doctrine (mostly in the second stanza) to practice to spiritual emotion he might naturally feel on the great occasion of Christmas Eve. As well, I as poet could have been overinterpretive about what the evergreens say, ending with an omniscient “moral” observation, but I hid it within the symbolism of the species. As you know, the name “arborvitae” means “tree of life,” and that tree breathes counter to “yew.” The yew is a typical churchyard tree, and it has thus acquired an association with death, even though it is planted in burial grounds to signify life by its evergreen foliage. “Yew” in my poem also means “you,” the reader, with the arborvitae wafting life-giving significance to you. Have a blessed Christmas season! Reply
Joseph S. Salemi December 26, 2022 The yew may have also gotten some of its associations with death from the fact that it was the wood of choice among medieval English archers for making bows, and English soldiers with their longbows of yew wood were universally dreaded as deadly in battle (ask the French about Crecy and Agincourt!) I understand yew wood was in such demand by the sixteenth century that England had to import it from the forests of Germany to keep their military archers supplied with longbows.
Margaret Coats December 26, 2022 Thanks for this additional comment, Joe. I relied on having seen yew trees in dozens of old churchyards in England, especially right around lych-gates where a coffin might have rested for the last time above ground. But your information sent me to my symbolism reference books, where I found that yews were funerary trees and tokens of war to Celtic peoples because of their dark color, toxic berries, and wood suitable for spears and shields. The English longbowmen followed ancient traditions of weaponcraft!
Susan Jarvis Bryant December 24, 2022 Margaret, both beautifully written poems have wrapped me in the wonders of the world at Christmastime. I love the gentle splendor of ‘Nativity Scene’ that brings with it a humbling, heart-touching reverence for the sheer magnitude of this miracle. ‘Evergreen Interlude’ is a poem that sings to me… literally. Your expert use of alliteration brings a musicality to the words that when read aloud become an instant aural blessing. Your masterly use of assonance has a magical effect that has left me in awe of your Christmas gift to your readers… a superlative poem that I wish I had written myself. A very Merry Christmas to you, Margaret! Reply
Margaret Coats December 26, 2022 May you and yours have a happy and merry Christmas season for all twelve days, Susan! Thanks for your appreciation of my poems, especially for the great praise of “Evergreen Interlude.” I did not make up any words for it, but only used sounds heard by tree listeners who pay attention to such things. Of course I heeded their advice to listen to my front yard pines and back yard holly, but I had to trust them for many of the trees included. They are more reliable and sensitive than what we used to call “tree huggers” (radical environmentalists). Do the British use that expression, or is it an Americanism? Plants do seem to speak more under winter stresses than in other seasons of the year, when they have better things to do! Glad to have their comments on Christmas. Reply
Paul Freeman December 25, 2022 Enjoyed both. ‘Evergreen Interlude’ was tree-mendous. Cue Christmas groans! Thanks for the reads, Margaret. Reply
Margaret Coats December 26, 2022 Love the puns, Paul, and thanks for your expression of appreciation. Some human beings may be making Christmas groans now, but I wish them the olive leaves’ coo. We have plenty of olives nearby, and I can testify to that sound being made by them, but it must also owe something to the association of dove and olive as symbols of peace. Have a happy and calm Christmas season! Reply
Joshua C. Frank December 26, 2022 I love both of these, Margaret, but especially the first. Good priests aren’t honored anywhere near enough. What a perfect image of the kind of priest whose parish I would love to attend! Reply
Margaret Coats December 26, 2022 Thanks, Josh, that’s the image I wanted to depict. There’s been plenty of talk about priests losing their proper self-image, and acting as if their role is to be entertainers or buddies or bosses to the parish. This priest can express what he is supposed to be: a mediator between God and man, with responsibilities to both, and a model of personal devotion. I am blessed to be acquainted with some good priests Reply
Phyllis Schabow December 31, 2022 Evergreen speaks to me directly. The word “bough” is the meaning of the name, Phyllis. “A green bough.” Ever green, when planted by running waters. And Wood is where my DNA derives from – the maiden name of my grandmother, Rose Wood, one of so many children that they only had given to them first names. “Wood of the cradle, wood of the cross.” You have written magnificently. Once again! Reply
Margaret Coats December 31, 2022 Thank you, “Green Bough”! I hope your bough that recently underwent surgery is no longer aching. The evergreen poem is unusual because I try to let the trees do the speaking, just as animals are said to speak (in Latin) at midnight on Christmas. The arborvitae (tree of life) would be the wood of the cradle, and the ominous yew the wood of the cross–at least among those I mention in this poem. I see that I could have added rosewood, an much valued for its red color and dark swirls. Maybe another stanza with more trees in my evergreen forest next year! Reply
Phyllis Schabow December 31, 2022 “The Body I confect.” It was this realization that drew my soul out of error and into the perfection of the Church He founded upon earth, “for us men and for our salvation.” Also, the word “confect” reminds me of the word “confection” – which is a drop of sweetness – a candy. He comes to fill us with Himself – the sweetest confection of all sweetness. I pray for the whole world to experience this greatest of God’s gifts – His only begotten Son given by the hand of an ordained priest, to nourish and sustain us in this world of exile. “I go to prepare a place for you,” He promised. You and you and you! Reply
Margaret Coats December 31, 2022 May those you are addressing come to thank you for pointing clearly to that ineffable sweetness my poem speaks of! A merry Christmas and happy new year to you, with many receptions of that divine confection! Reply
Christina Lesinski January 2, 2023 Mrs. Coats, both of your poems are filled with the magical and peaceful spirit of Christmas! I noticed the themes of “cold” in both poems, which of course captures the nature of wintertime, contrasted by moments of warmth. I love the story that your first poem tells; it’s a perfect closing of Advent and anticipatory entrance into Christmas. Almost a religious spin on “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” especially the way it reflects the quiet and stillness of the night, and the church, as the Priest makes his rounds behind the scenes. “Evergreen Interlude” truly felt like a snowy forest playing music together in a whimsical way, and I could imagine it was lovely music. Thank you for sharing your gift of poetry that you are inspired to write! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Reply
Margaret Coats January 2, 2023 Thank you, Christina! Yes, indeed, Christmas is when we are able to see and feel warmth and light come into our world. Our faithful priests do so much to accomplish that, but even the natural world has its contributions. May you continue to rejoice in them during the rest of this blessed season. Reply
Laura Lesinski January 3, 2023 Lovely imagery from both poems, Margaret. You’ve captured the essence of Christmas, preparing for holy Mass. Never have I considered the Babe being cold. Holy Priests….the salt of the earth. God bless them all. Reply
Margaret Coats January 3, 2023 Thanks for your comment, Laura! It never occurred to me either that Baby Jesus in a church manger scene would be cold–until a priest told me this story. But some priests, and some others too, really have the gift of entering into the spirit of what we are celebrating. One young priest told me he is glad when the choir sings a long piece, and he has to wait for us to finish. That gives him time to pray privately while Mass is going on. A good reminder to tune ourselves in to God! Reply
Tom Rimer January 3, 2023 Beautiful poems both. As for EVERGREEN INTERLUDE, please see my separate e-mail about my pleasure at reading it out loud to our poetry group. Reply
Margaret Coats January 4, 2023 Thanks, Tom, for choosing “Evergreen Interlude” to read to your group. I notice you had a vigorous discussion in favor of classic form and technique for poetry. I myself see that young writers (if they are not in a modern literature class or writing workshop) will go to the online rhyming dictionary and produce a poem in regular style whenever they feel the inspiration. May that continue for Christmases and many special occasions to come! Reply
Lauren V. Leon January 17, 2023 Dear Margaret, I absolutely love “Nativity Scene.” I have never seen Christmas through the eyes of a Priest so clearly. I have witnessed priests perform their sacred duties quite often, every Sunday in fact. Yet, now I have seen what they might be thinking behind their pastoral sermons and holy vestments. Keeping the Blessed Child warm. Becoming like a child in the process. So heartwarming. I greatly admire “Evergreen Interlude” as well but “Nativity Scene” was especially vivid in my mind. As an uneducated plebian, I am unable to comment on the depth of your work in the garden of words. Reply
Margaret Coats January 17, 2023 Thank you for your kind comment, Lauren. I am so glad you appreciate the “Nativity Scene” from one priest’s point of view. Priests have such responsibility for the Mass that we laypersons often forget they must not only coordinate the liturgy for us, but sustain their own devotion with it at the same time. You are by no means uneducated! I saw your bio at your own “Christmas Story” post, and I admire the breadth of learning you have achieved. I welcome anything any reader wants to say about my poetry, because varied perspectives come up with different interpretations that sometimes show the poet what he has done without knowing it. From my point of view, once the poem is given to readers, many valuable readings are possible, even though the poet did not intend them all! Reply
