the old man’s hunger had left his stomach hollow.
how am i to know this? he had asked the angel.
elizabeth’s womb lies barren; no seed
has ever taken root. and i am no better than a wizened stem.
unwise, it had been, to question the messenger of God.
not until the time grows ripe shall you raise your voice,
gabriel had replied. put your hand upon your mouth and
remember: everything oath shall be kept; every promise fulfilled.
your emptiness shall become abundance, and all of
Your disgrace shall be transformed into delight.
of course, she had conceived, had believed the word spoken —
unto you is given a son! and now the babe had come.
filled himself at last, zechariah broke his silence with a song:
israel, see how your God remembers and restores —
look, His salvation is coming like the light of dawn!
look, the shadow of death shall be no more.
