The Coming of the Magi

[Philatone]

Hey Leanne! nice to see a Christmas spirited one, regardless of how bright or dark. I think it's windy because a lot rushed over my head, but I'll let you know what I got

Oh mother, where’s your little girl now?
golden brown beneath an incandescent
sun, shiver swung from electric noose as God ..striking image
laughs like the terrier next door, ratcatcher yelps
and hard biscuit yawns. ...more a sidenote than anything: I wanted this to be another question posed by the speaker, rather than a statement, on my first reading. agree with addy on the enjambment here, wonderfully done, especially the break on "God". Also agree on the "laughs"--I think, while great as is, another verb could send it to another level. The ratcatcher and biscuits did lose me, however

Christmas carries sex upon its breath, sackfuls of
naughty whisper ice is nicest when it’s
free. Note the catch and kiss of missed and may
be shush, there’s good, let’s spoon it up. ... this stanza struck me as the most cryptic, particularly the middle two lines. The first line I thought was great and creative. "Ice" can just have so many meanings...the "may be shush" is the most confusing for me

Mother waits with empty boxes
every year, Pandora’s treasure passing by on ragged ..enjoyed these opening two lines
wings -- those she wore that day when promise
wandered westward, folio in hand. Now the tree "wandered westward" is beautiful
stands bare, shedding needles on the floor. "bare" I took as missing ornaments. the tree image adds so much to the poem

Can you hear the bells? All is well.
Celebrate. The world rejoices in glorious rebuke.
What is one star, when a galaxy is alight? ...deceptive little line making for a great close. for an image so bright, it's so dark.

My interpretations of this have sent me everywhere until I settled on the darkest, and that seems also to be the most fitting because it clears up a number of the questions I had on first reading. of course, some still remain.