Immanuel

“Immanuel” – A Poem by Andrew Egopija

You had enough time to choose
The womb to bare you
Where to be born
Where you would grow up
What you’d be called
‘cos your birth was planned before The Beginning

It was a virgin womb you wanted
No man had known her
No one would believe her story
Her dignity and life were at stake
All she wanted you almost took away
Yet your birth was planned before The Beginning

There was no room for you
In majestic surroundings or humble spaces
A manger was all you had
You arrived on straws as the sheep looked on
Their stench greeted you, filled your first breath
Yet your birth was planned before The Beginning

You were taken to Egypt as a refugee
Not a dignified migration
You were an undocumented alien
Through your parents, you felt the nostalgic pang for homeland.
Unsettled, caught between two worlds
Yet your birth was planned before The Beginning

You choose a career in carpentry
Honing your skills through apprenticeship
Accepting mentorship, mending broken parts
Creating new pieces of furniture
Offering customer care to your clients
Demonstrating both soft and technical abilities
Yet your birth was planned before The Beginning

An itinerary preacher with no fixed income
Homeless but not destitute
Friends to the poor and broken
You loved the rich and wise too
Looked up to nobody, looked down at none
To you, they were all the same
In need of Immanuel

Immanuel, God with us
The king who disguised his identity
Choosing the road least travelled
Disrupting the natural course
Not content to be on the sideline
Wants to be with us in all seasons of life
As our Lord, our King, our Lover, our Friend

AE/23.12.19

Dr Andrew Egopija is an alumnus of CU Uniben and a past President of CUNAA UK-Europe.
Andrew lives with his family in the UK.