Wednesday, December 19, 2018

THE PRISONERS' GIFT

Enemy combatants
In a war across the globe
Transported to and imprisoned in
A land so far from home.

Detained behind barbed wire
But warm and fully fed
They yearned for home and family
While grieving for their dead.

Allowed to work on area farms
The prairie brought them peace
Their strong arms worked to till the soil
Until the raging battles ceased.

As holidays approached in ‘44
And winter nights were long
A small nativity scene was fashioned
And darkness filled with German song.

Commander Lobdall was impressed
By the sight of the small nativity
And requested a larger scene for ‘45
To share with the whole community.

The Prisoners' Gift - kossuthhistorybuff.blogspot.com













Eduard Kaib and five other men
Took on this mission of peace and harmony,
Using earnings from their labors       
To construct a complete nativity.

Creating half size statues
In their workshop late at night,
Molding sheep and shepherds, kings and camels
Helped the prisoners’ loneliness take flight.

The Prisoners' Gift - kossuthhistorybuff.blogspot.com

The Prisoners' Gift - kossuthhistorybuff.blogspot.com













Fashioning frames from wood and wire
Which they covered with concrete,
Using Plaster of Paris to animate
The faces, hands and feet.

Using their God-given talents
To create Joseph, Mary and the Babe,
They placed a halo round His head
To show He came to save.

The Prisoners' Gift - kossuthhistorybuff.blogspot.com













By November of that very year
It was ready to display.
Thousands came to see the scene
And the baby lying in the hay.

And so it’s been for each year since
Bringing tidings of great joy to all men.
A gift from lonely prisoners—
Enemies who became friends.

It remains a symbol of the message
That was brought down to the earth
In that tiny little stable
On the night of our Savior’s birth.

The Prisoners' Gift - kossuthhistorybuff.blogspot.com













For just like the three Wise Men
That journeyed from afar,
These strangers came bearing gifts
That only they could share.

And so it proves no matter where we live
Or the language that we speak,
There can be peace, goodwill toward men,
That angelic promise that we seek.


Merry Christmas!

Jean


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