Phillip Pritchard

Melchior’s Account

I think in the end we should not have

gone. The arrogance of thinking we should

or could be of importance to Him.

All that effort; hiring camels porters

tents, food and drink and then

those pointless presents to demonstrate

nothing but our own hubris. Weeks crossing

the desert, mountains following a star

so pleased at our own cleverness yet

not as clever as we thought in the end

we were bought with flattery

a few enticing silky words and

we told all we knew but the cost

was too high not paid by us:

all those screaming women those

men on their knees howling and

all those children! oh lord!

forgive us all those dead children.

Phillip Pritchard

18.11.07