by Christal Ann Rice Cooper

New York City was thick gray
except for the Eastern Star
within skyscraper skies;

Wall Street Boulevard egged-white
with snow and the bloody limbs
of those who jumped from buildings

when they learned of Black Tuesday,
Black Thursday, and the closing
of banks in Manhattan.

Mr. Brooklyn and Mrs. Queens,
who was pregnant by some Being,
rode in a tiny taxi cab

to the Manhattan Metropolitan Zoo–
the only building that had a room,
where the Baby was born.

The flock of zoo keepers,
and their elephants and lions
sang praises for the baby.

The ABC newsman, the NBC newsman,
and the CBS newsman heard their voices,
and followed the echoes

stopping at Central Park
for strawberries and hot chocolate
and continued to follow the echoes

to a poor house where the Baby
ate his animal crackers and
drank grape juice from a sippy cup.

They fell to their knees before Him,
singing praises – the ice on their lips
like diamonds blazing on red silk.

Christal Ann Rice Cooper identifies herself as a Jesus-loving and Gospel-relying person. She is a newspaper writer, feature stories writer, poet, fiction writer, photographer, and painter. She has a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and completed all of her poetry and fiction workshops required for her Master’s in Creative Writing with a focus on poetry. She maintains a website at www.chrisricecooper.com

She, her husband Wayne, sons Nicholas and Caleb, cats Nation and Alaska reside in the St. Louis area.