The Innkeeper sat listening
To the shepherd as he spoke
He thought the story so bizarre
It surely was a joke
The shepherds told of angels,
Of stars and mighty kings
A baby born to rule the world
And other mystic things
He said the child was sent from God
To save the world from sin
That Princes, Pharaohs, Queens and Kings
Would bow their knee to him
The lame would walk, the blind would see
All men would know his grace
And where had all this happened?
Why! At this very place
The Innkeeper went quickly
To tell his wife the tale
And both agreed the shepherd
Must have taken too much ale
Later, when the inn was closed
He tidied round the tables
And picking up his sturdy broom
Went out to sweep the stables
A carpenter from Nazareth
Had stayed there overnight
His wife was near her time
He’d taken pity on their plight
He knew she’d been delivered
For he heard a baby’s cry
How brilliant the sky had been
How sweet her lullaby
He fed the donkey, milked the cow
And brushed the dusty floor
Then something shiny caught his eye
In amongst the straw
Picking up the golden piece
He turned it in his palm
And wondered where on Earth
A treasure such as this came from
A carpenter could never own
A jewel of such worth
Then he thought about the shepherd
And the little baby’s birth
Suddenly he realised he stood on Holy ground
And rushed inside to show his wife
The token he had found
They thought at first to keep it
Then agreed that would be wrong
The treasure should be taken
To the child, where it belonged
If mighty kings would come this far
The baby to behold
What vengeance would his father wreak
On those who stole his gold
The Innkeeper pulled on his cloak
To follow in their wake
Wondering which road
The blessed carpenter would take
His wife went to the stable
She sat awhile and wept
Then prayed beside the manger
Where the newborn babe had slept
Carrying his bundle
He hurried through the night
Back towards the cosy Inn
To calm his worried wife
Then, in the early morning
As the sleepy village stirred
The Innkeeper informed his wife
Of all that had occurred
Sitting close beside her
On the corner of their bed
In no more than a whisper
This is what he said…
“We met at the oasis
They seemed to know I’d come
The carpenter sat watching
As the mother nursed her son
I asked him of the baby’s name
The Son Of Man, said he
I asked their destination
He told me…. Calvary
I asked how long the road,
He said, The end will mark the start
I asked to see the baby
He said, Look to your heart
I asked if I should follow
He said to wait and pray
I asked which path to take
He said a cross would show the way
I offered him the golden piece
He looked towards the child
Then I heard an angel singing
And I swear the baby smiled”
The wife embraced her husband
And held his trembling hand
For though he spoke in riddles
She seemed to understand
Then, opening the bundle
He had carried on his back
Twenty thousand golden pieces
Fell into her lap
