Staying Up with Shepherds

This piece is inspired by my Shetland Sheepdog who has taught me a great deal about what it must mean to feel responsible for other creatures. 

When your whole job
is to wait up all night
and watch for danger
to suspect every shadow you see
every sound you hear
to treat every move
as a possible threat
to what is yours to defend and protect,

of course,
of course,
your first response
to a sudden light
in a dark field
is fear.

Because you can’t know

right away
that what you’re seeing
hearing
feeling
has been in motion
since the very first darkness
and the first break of day.

You have to take it in slowly:
The one who turned dust into sons and daughters
who filled the world with mountains and flowers
and the music
of lions roaring and grasshoppers hopping
has moved heaven to earth just to make sure
you notice how the lilies sway.

it takes a while
for the news
to become
the good news.

After years of silence
and a very long wait,
peace is here.

Hope is here

joy is here

Love is here
with a brand new name.

And that you
who feels at home in the night
who sees glory and stands terrified,

you

who stands ready for every fight

are invited along for the ride.