The Man the Birds the Barn

The man I’m going to introduce was not a scrooge at all He was kind and decent, mostly good, as I recall Generous to his family, upright with fellow men But all that incarnation stuff he just could not comprehend And every year at Christmas when the birth of Christ was told He said it made no sense to him, just a story told of old So when his wife and children went to church on Christmas Eve He said “I’d feel a hypocrite; it’s just too much to believe” As the family drove away, the snow came falling down He felt safe and warm inside and then he heard this sound A thud came from the window, then two, then three, then four Must be someone throwing snowballs so he went to his front door He found no one outside there, just a flock of birds Huddled in the fallen snow, they were what he’d heard They’d been caught out in the storm seeking shelter and safe haven They tried to fly into his house; these poor birds needed sav’in He thought about his old barn where his children kept a horse It was safe and warm in there; he’d direct them there of course He put on his coat and hat and trampled through the snow Opened the barn, turned on the lights so the birds knew where to go But the birds just stood there freezing in the cold and deepening snow Needing something to entice them; back to his house he’d go He gathered up some bread crumbs; laid a path straight to his light If they followed what he gave them, they’d be safe and warm all night But still the birds ignored him in spite of all his plans He shooed then; tried to force them; they didn’t understand And then it finally hit him; they’re scared; I’m just a stranger How can I turn their thinking round and keep them out of danger They’ve got to learn to trust me, that’s their main stumbling block If only I could be a bird and live within their flock Then I could simply tell them not to be afraid And I could lead them safely down the path I’d laid But I’d really have to be one so they would see and understand That I was there to help them; not just someone with demands And at that very moment church bells began to ring The story had been told once more and choirs began to sing Adeste Fidelis soon drifted through the trees Understanding now the story, the man fell to his knees For God so loved the world that he sent His only Son To live and breathe among us till trust and love He’d won. This was a Paul Harvey story. It took me 2 years to put it into rhyme to my satisifaction. I still like his story better.