‘Twas the Day After Christmas 12-26-96 DELL M. MANGUM
‘Twas the day after Christmas, and out in the shed,
The ewes were all sleeping, not a care in their head.
Their coats had been shorn; they had been relieved of their wool.
Snug and warm inside, instead of out where it was cool.
Then out in the yard there arose such a clatter,
They sprang to their feet to see what was the matter.
And there, on the crest of last weeks new snow,
The yard light was shining and casting a glow.
While the watchdog was straining at the end of its chain,
Barking at the snowplow that was scraping the lane.
Geese were squawking and flapping their wings,
All of them stretching their necks and doing bird things.
The shepherd arrived, to check on the sheep,
To see if any were born since he last went to sleep.
Hoping to find some born in the night,
He opened the door slowly, so as not to give them a fright.
But being sheep, they made a dash for the door,
Leaving behind them little pellets galore.
The shepherd quickly counted, to see if they were all there.
Mentally he named them and was missing a pair.
One was in a corner with her face again the wall,
Slowly nuzzling a new baby curled in a ball.
The other one was hiding, behind a panel in the pen,
She was lying on her side, straining now and then.
On closer examination, he spotted some pointy little toes,
Another push or two soon revealed a pointy little nose.
As he stood there, watching this miracle of birth,
He though “Good will to men, and Peace throughout the Earth”.
But it was only momentary, as a healthy lamb was born,
The results of an anticipated mating, five months ago this morn.
When it shook its head to clear it’s nose and start it on its way,
“Oh what a dandy lamb!” was all he could think to say.
This ewe had things to do, so turning with a jerk,
Licking and cleaning, she went straight to her work.
She nuzzled and nosed it, until it was on its feet.
Then still wobbling and weaving, it started looking for a teat.
It didn’t find it on the first try, or even on the next,
But he kept on trying, with his neck outstretched and flexed.
Mother Nature has a powerful force, in that of self-survival,
And it was surely evident, since this lamb made his arrival.
Two more lambs soon followed and were started on their way,
With a beginning like this, it could be quite a day.
Even though a soft rain was falling, plinking on the roof,
All that the shepherd heard was the rustle of each tiny hoof.
Finally he went into the house, and to his dog he gave a whistle,
Started his computer, and then worked out this epistle.
TIS THE SEASON! DON”T FORGET THE REASON!
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