Advent

When I see the cradle rocking

What is it I see?

I see a rood on the hilltop

           Of Calvary.

When I hear the cattle lowing

What is it that they say?

They say that shadows feasted

           At Tenebrae.

When I know that the grave is empty,

Absence eviscerates me,

And I dwell in a cavernous, constant

           Horror vacui.

~Donald Hall