Bach For Christmas! (For My Pal Al) Poem by Dónall Dempsey

BACH FOR CHRISTMAS! (for my pal Al)

The church orchestra
search around for an
E sharp.

The conductor blows his nose.

But as the oboe player points out:
'That's in F sharp! '

They laugh.

The singer
starts singing

words like
stepping across ice as it cracks:

'In the beginning
was the Word
and the Word was
...lilac! '

Yet more laughter.

The stained glass listens
to their musical tomfoolery

as they practice their perfection
& the rehearsals drag on.

Tonight it will be
nothing but Holy.

A pagan tree
cowers in a corner

all Christmasy.

A church hanging
proclaiming:

'Praise him
hail and lightning! '

As we two
lost souls

delight in
the music

of being
...human!