Welcome back to the Daily Poem here on the Close Reeds Podcast Network. I'm David Kern.

Today's December 17th, 2019. And today I'm actually going to read two poems. Normally I read one with a few comments and then read the poem again.

But today I wanted to read two because I think they act as an interesting comparison, or they act as interesting companion pieces to one another.

The first poem that I'm going to read is Joseph by G.K. Chesterton, and then the second that I'm

going to read is William Butler Yates, the mother of God. We are one week from Christmas, just

about, and so I thought I would

read two poems today on the same day about Jesus' parents. It seemed appropriate for the time of

year and seemed like a different approach than what I've done before. So while I won't have as

many comments today, I will let the two poems speak about and to one another. So first here is

Joseph by G.K. Chesterton. If the stars fell, nights nameless dreams of bliss and blasphemy came true.

If skies were green and snow were gold and you loved me as I loved you.

Oh, long, light hands and curled brown hair and eyes where sits a naked soul,

dare I even then draw near and burn my fingers in the oriole?

Yes, in the one wise, foolish hour,

God gives this strange strength to a man.

He can demand, though not deserve,

where ask he cannot seize he can.

But once the blood's wild wedding o'er

were not dread his half-dark desire

to see the Christ-child in the cot,

the Virgin Mary, by the fire.

And this is Yates' The Mother of God.

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