2019 Christmas Sonnet

                       SUDDENLY, the silence of the star-strewn night
                       Was broken by a newborn baby's cry
                       And choirs of joyful angels took to flight
                       To spread the word to shepherds camped nearby.
                       Then out of the East, three royal wise men came
                       To worship the baby born in a cattle shed
                       To a  family without wealth and famous name,
                       Who laid the babe to sleep in a manger bed,
                       But cared for him as every child should be--
                       Protected and valued, well instructed, and well fed,
                       Not locked away in a prison of misery
                       By decrees devised by the vile and bigoted--
                            For  God loves every child on earth the same
                            No matter its heritage, color, or family name