The Unwise Men

(For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger
than human strength. 1 Corinthians 1:25)

It wasn’t like you think.
To be honest, none of it was wise:
following a moving star;
hiding priceless treasures underneath our cloaks;
affecting unfelt nonchalance through local warlords’ lands;
enduring sandstorms, airless days and freezing nights,
the endless monotony of the landscape,
the endless monotony of the food,
and the endless monotony of our constant triangular debates –
our only means of entertainment –
which descended into dialectic taken to the nth degree
(until an unseemly desire to brawl almost overcame us);
suffering spitting, farting camels,
surly, recalcitrant servants,
our own numb backsides as we rode all hours God sent, day after day;
having to mortify our innate sense of pride
as we subdued libidinous imaginings brought on
by the erotically curved folds of sensual silk-smooth sand.
And in Jerusalem at last, walking straight into the lion’s den,
King Herod’s bleak domain,
enquiring for the one he feared, who could supplant him,
the one whose kingdom was not of this world,
then through our queries unwittingly directing him to Bethlehem,
becoming catalysts for cruel infant carnage.
No, on reflection none of it was wise.
Yet at that moment when we saw the child
we were foolish, overcome with joy,
and know that follow still –
it has become our crowning wisdom.

(Francesca Proud, November 2014)