John Halladay
For a Child Dead by his Own Hand at Christmas
We awoke that joyless morning
to a baptism of Christmas rain
following an eve that had lacked augers.
No baby was born.
The Magi came in a white car,
their sirens respectfully quiet.
They had followed no star,
they brought useless gifts, too late.
The shepherds were pale.
Their soft voices gave reassurance
that there would be room, now, at the eternal inn.
We didn’t think to consider that.
The lowing of cattle was replaced by television
and Christ was still in the house.
John Halladay won first prize in the Tom Roder poetry competition and [for a collection of poetry] in the New Writer poetry competition. The University of Sheffield published a booklet of his poetry. His work has appeared in Dark Horse, Envoi, Aabye, Orbis, Raindog, Roundhouse and most recently Staple magazine. He is secretary of Rushmoor Writers, one of the oldest writers’ circles in the country.
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magazine list
- Features
- zines
- 10th Muse
- 14
- Acumen
- Agenda
- Ambit
- Angel Exhaust
- ARTEMISpoetry
- Atlas
- Blithe Spirit
- Borderlines
- Brando's hat
- Brittle Star
- Candelabrum
- Cannon's Mouth, The
- Chroma
- Coffee House, The
- Dream Catcher
- Equinox
- Erbacce
- Fabric
- Fire
- Floating Bear, The
- French Literary Review, The
- Frogmore Papers, The
- Global Tapestry
- Grosseteste Review
- Homeless Diamonds
- Interpreter's House, The
- Iota
- Journal, The
- Lamport Court
- London Magazine, The
- Magma
- Matchbox
- Matter
- Modern Poetry in Translation
- Monkey Kettle
- Moodswing
- Neon Highway
- New Welsh Review
- North, The
- Oasis
- Obsessed with pipework
- Orbis
- Oxford Poetry
- Painted, spoken
- Paper, The
- Pen Pusher Magazine
- Poetry Cornwall
- Poetry London
- Poetry London (1951)
- Poetry Nation
- Poetry Review, The
- Poetry Salzburg Review
- Poetry Scotland
- Poetry Wales
- Private Tutor
- Purple Patch
- Quarto
- Rain Dog
- Reach Poetry
- Review, The
- Rialto, The
- Second Aeon
- Seventh Quarry, The
- Shearsman
- Smiths Knoll
- Smoke
- South
- Staple
- Strange Faeces
- Tabla Book of New Verse, The
- Thumbscrew
- Tolling Elves
- Ugly Tree, The
- Weyfarers
- Wolf, The
- Yellow Crane, The