The lamb of God
cannot be left
like this small one
vulnerable in its innocence
to fang or claw
or the murderous elements
of a harsh place.
Harmless, it is not preyed upon.
Alone, not lost.
For the eagle and the lion
(most nobly charged)
sentinel the air
and earth for it:
hold golden guard as angels might
while the cruelest snows,
fallen to entomb—
how turned beneath
bounding feet to bloom!
And how to the tenderest breath
are brought
all winds that blow.
