Take Me Home for Christmas: A Christmas Holiday Vacation Romance Read online

  GOOD NEWS

  OF

  GREAT

  JOY

  Christmas Poetry

  JENNY BRAVO

  Good News of Great Joy

  Copyright © 2018 by Jenny Bravo.

  All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations em- bodied in critical articles or reviews.

  For information contact :

  http://www.jennybravobooks.com

  Book and Cover design by Jenny Bravo

  First Edition: November 2018

  GOOD NEWS

  For all

  ages

  For all

  men

  For all

  women

  For

  you

  For every

  hair

  on the

  crown

  of your

  head

  For every

  beat

  of your

  heart

  For you

  yesterday

  today

  tomorrow

  For you

  in your

  dark

  and

  broken

  pieces

  For you

  in your

  patches

  of light

  For you

  I bear

  G O O D

  N E W S

  For you

  I bring

  the best

  of all

  news

  For you

  a child

  is born

  For you

  that

  which

  seemed

  impossible

  has

  become

  your

  reality

  For you

  GABRIEL / MARY

  Oh,

  little

  love of

  the Lord.

  How

  Your Father

  loves

  you so.

  He

  is

  with

  you.

  He

  has never

  missed

  a moment

  of

  every

  second

  of your

  life.

  Oh,

  little

  love of

  the Lord.

  Rest your

  heart.

  Your Father

  loves you.

  Will you

  say yes?

  Will you

  let

  go

  of all

  your

  fears?

  He

  has

  shaped

  the plans

  He has

  for you

  with the

  same hands

  that

  molded

  the stars.

  Will you

  trust Him

  with

  your yes?

  Oh,

  little

  love of

  the Lord.

  You cannot

  know what

  tomorrow

  holds.

  Rise or

  fall,

  Break or

  heal,

  Your father

  stays

  as close

  as the air

  that you

  breathe.

  He has

  made

  mountains.

  He has

  calmed

  seas.

  He is

  good

  and only

  good.

  Will you

  say yes?

  FIAT

  Y E S.

  Y

  E

  S

  Yes

  forever

  and

  always

  y e s.

  Yes

  to

  the

  beginning

  of

  change.

  Eternally

  Y E S.

  HANDMAID

  How

  can

  I

  serve?

  How

  can

  I

  give

  more

  to

  bear

  witness

  to

  all

  the

  B E A U T Y

  M E R C Y

  L O V E

  that

  you

  offer?

  FAVOR FOUND

  You

  who are

  mighty

  and

  good

  say that

  I

  who am

  little

  and

  scared

  am good.

  NAZOREAN WOMAN

  Have you

  heard

  the

  N E W S ?

  The good girl

  has

  fallen.

  The one

  who was

  perfect

  is now

  soiled.

  Have you

  heard

  the

  T A L K ?

  The unblemished

  virgin

  is now with child.

  Have you

  heard

  the

  R U M O R S ?

  Will her

  bethrothed stay?

  A miracle, she claims.

  How can

  she be

  believed?

  How can

  we

  trust what

  we

  did not

  see?

  BETROTHED

  You

  and

  I

  will

  bind

  our

  lives

  for

  better & worse.

  We

  are

  each

  other’s.

  We

  are

  His.

  GABRIEL / JOSEPH

  No longer

  will

  He

  be

  o u t

  o f

  r e a c h.

  Emmanuel.

  God

  with

  us.

  Barriers

  be broken.

  S e p a r a t e

  made whole.

  He

  is

  coming

  to

  meet

  you.

  What

  was

  once

  a hope

  is now

  a life.

  The child

  you will

  hold and

  love and

  r a i s e

  will one day

  raise

  the

  fallen

  ones.

  DO NOT FEAR

  Shed

  the

  layers

  of

  doubt

  that

  bind

  you

  and

  B E L I E V E.

  JOSEPH

  You

  have

  a

  plan.

  Its

  s t r u c
t u r e

  is

  unlike

  the

  one

  I

  pictured,

  but its

  Maker

  remains

  unchanged.

  Jesus.

  Your Son.

  My Son.

  Close

  will

  I

  keep

  Him.

  Before

  You

  I

  will

  bring

  Him.

  You

  have

  a

  plan.

  A

  s o n

  to

  save

  us

  all.

  CONCEIVED

  Take

  in the

  good

  and

  r e c e i v e

  the

  love

  that

  never

  recedes.

  VIRGIN

  All

  that

  she is

  exists

  to

  serve

  Him.

  Yes is her battle cry.

  JOHN THE BAPTIST

  G R O W.

  I will

  G R O W.

  A voice

  c r y i n g

  out in the

  desert.

  Eyes

  closed.

  Safe.

  Small.

  An answered

  prayer.

  My mother’s

  voice.

  His mother’s

  voice.

  A banner

  of hope.

  I know

  that

  He

  is

  here.

  a L E A P of

  joy.

  ELIZABETH

  Blessed.

  Sweet and

  promised

  blessings

  fall

  onto

  thee

  & fall

  onto

  me.

  I am

  but a

  thistle

  in the

  sight

  of His

  Son.

  His Son.

  Blessed.

  Pressing

  my

  humble

  hands

  to reach

  for the

  little life

  inside.

  You

  carry

  the

  hope

  of

  the

  world.

  Blessed.

  Standing

  with you.

  Each filled

  with living

  miracles.

  How

  can

  this

  be?

  WRITTEN

  You

  see

  a

  Savior

  foretold.

  Wait.

  Wait.

  Wait.

  Oh,

  how

  we

  have

  waited.

  INNKEEPER

  Full.

  To be

  full

  is to be

  successful.

  Full is

  busy

  & bustling

  & profitable

  & stable

  & going strong.

  There

  is no

  room

  here.

  No place

  to

  welcome

  you.

  No room

  to

  house

  you.

  Full.

  Maybe

  next

  year.

  Maybe

  tomorrow.

  In another

  somewhere

  I can find

  s p a c e

  for you.

  At a later

  sometime

  I can

  maybe

  receive

  you.

  GLORY

  Wonder

  of

  wonders

  Look

  to the

  stars

  He who

  s e e s &

  k n o w s &

  l o v e s

  you

  is

  born

  HARK

  Open

  your

  ears

  and

  your

  hearts.

  Your

  king

  has

  arrived.

  SHEPHERD

  Small

  shivering

  l a m b

  Why do

  you run?

  Each &

  every

  sheep

  falls

  beneath my

  care.

  Hard

  jagged rocks.

  Cuts that

  bleed

  from my

  swollen feet.

  A still

  swell of

  p e a c e

  in the air.

  I watch

  the sky.

  Sheep

  bleat below.

  And

  one

  light.

  Small

  shivering

  l a m b

  Do you

  see the star?

  H A R K,

  they cry.

  To my

  knees I

  f a l l.

  A child

  has brought

  joy

  & peace

  for us all.

  THE MANGER

  The one

  who sat

  in the

  adoration

  of angels

  has

  lowered

  himself

  into a

  cold

  dirty

  trough.

  F o r

  y o u.

  HEROD

  A throne

  can

  seat

  one king.

  A people

  can

  follow

  one ruler.

  If it is

  to be

  His way

  then it

  cannot

  be mine.

  Control

  is power.

  Power is

  everything

  The king

  who has

  power and

  wields it

  with

  force

  will gain

  all.

  For a

  king to

  R I S E

  another must

  f a l l.

  Do you

  surrender

  your crown

  to Him?

  You

  can

  only

  have

  one

  leader.

  KINGDOM

  The veil

  has

  t o r n.

  A king

  is

  b o r n.

  Forever

  thine

  Forever

  mine

  THE MAGI

  We

  cannot

  return

  as we

  have come.

  Carve

  a fresh

  way which

  we will

  follow.

  Flee.

  Bolt.

  Abandon

  all the old

  r o u t e s.

  We

  cannot

  return

  as we

  have come.

  Our

  blind

  search

  led
by a

  s t a r.

  A seeking

  that led

  to a k i n g.

  We have seen.

  We have offered our gifts.

  We

  cannot

  return

  as we

  have come.

  GIFTS

  How

  can I

  offer a

  worthy

  gift

  to the

  one who

  has

  given

  it all?

  BETHLEHEM WOMAN

  Early

  I arise.

  Out of

  a stable

  a family

  packs in

  h a s t e.

  A baby

  cries.

  Adore.

  The sound

  is one of

  holy hymn.

  The mother

  shifts the

  little one

  in her arms.

  Gaze.

  She meets

  my eyes

  and smiles

  with grace.

  Meet.

  She invites

  me to come

  and see

  Him.

  They are

  set to leave.

  I draw

  c l o s e t o

  See

  the child

  and the

  mother

  u n v e i l s

  His Face.

  Breath

  catches in

  my chest

  and I

  Know.

  SEEN

  You

  shall

  see

  and

  you

  shall

  always

  be

  seen.

  SIMEON

  Have you

  forgotten me?

  Long have

  I waited.

  Long have

  you promised.

  Do you

  remember me?

  You

  are the

  one who

  keeps Your

  promises.

  My

  eyes

  have

  seen.

  A Messiah.

  Now, Lord,

  you may

  bring me

  h o m e.

  In these

  tired arms

  I have held

  Your

  living

  promise

  of

  the ages.