A Lifetime of Christmas Poetry
My mom, Raynette Forister Eitel, passed away in September of 2022, age
85, drifting away into dementia. It was tragic to watch this woman who loved
words, who was a poet and teacher, fade away into wordlessness after a lifetime
of crafting poetry.
Mom had a tradition of writing a new Christmas poem each year and
sending it to friends and relatives. The mailing list grew each year, and
people always told us they looked forward to mom’s Christmas poems. She
published some in a couple little books. There are too many to post just once a
day during the month of December, but I’ll choose some of the best.
When the Lowly Birth
by Raynette Eitel
When the Light of the World was born,
When the penumbra in Bethlehem
Was overcome in the scintillation
Of one star, empyrean chants
Broke the silence and no one knew
What changes were rising in the East.
A new way to the Father occurred
At the lowly birth, the Life
Whose first bed was but a manger.
Years later, he would coax
Lazarus from his dark tomb
And would one day walk away
From his own burial cloths.
When Truth made itself at home
In a simple crowded stable,
When angels sang out to shepherds
Across a mystic midnight sky
A young mother gave the Son of God
Her breast for comfort. The world slept,
Oblivious to miracles,
Unaware a new way would sweep
Through ancient temples, wandering winding
Streets of cold complacency
Century to century
Where the story would be told
Quietly one to one to one
Until at last the printed word
Proclaimed a new Prince of Peace.
I am the way, and the truth, and the light.
No one comes to the Father but by me.
John 14:6
Writing Rhetorically 