The gift of a Christmas poem, plus news about the re-release of ORDERING of LOVE

Dear Ones,

As we close in on Christmas, we’re honored to share with you a poem from The Ordering of Love: New and Collected Poems of Madeleine L’Engle.

Consider this reflection a preview of the more substantial gift: a re-release of The Ordering of Love by Convergent Books. Complete with a new foreword by Sarah Arthur and a readers guide by Lindsay Lackey, the new edition will be available in February 2020.

 

The Risk of Birth, Christmas, 1973

This is no time for a child to be born,
With the earth betrayed by war & hate
And a comet slashing the sky to warn
That time runs out & the sun burns late.

That was no time for a child to be born,
In a land in the crushing grip of Rome;
Honour & truth were trampled by scorn —
Yet here did the Saviour make his home.

When is the time for love to be born?
The inn is full on the planet earth,
And by a comet the sky is torn —
Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.

What comet might Madeleine have referenced in this poem? Well, according to the Internet, in the fall of 1973, scientists and the media had people hyped up about the Christmas-time appearance of Comet Kohoutek, which was supposed to have been “The Comet of the Century.” But by the time the comet was visible from earth — December 23, 1973 to January 2, 1974 — the comet was nothing but a disappointingly faint spot in the sky. (It made for a great poem, though.)

One more Christmas gift you don’t have to wait for: Enjoy these homemade family Christmas cards, created byMadeleine. Which is your favorite? (Mine’s the card from 1959 — very Wrinkle in 

Time-esque, with pets!)

Tesser well,

Erin F. Wasinger, for MadeleineLEngle.com.