In the Name of The Lord
The angel said to Mary,
You must bear the Son of the Lord –
And you shall name him Joshua,
Before you cut the cord.
But why, she thought, such a common name ?
For a most uncommon child ?
Who shall remember what he does
When he’s quite so blandly styled ?
For Nazareth was full of Joshes,
And Judahs, and Jacobs, and Josephs, and Johns –
She wanted a son who shone like marble
Amongst the lumpen bronze.
Why can’t he be an Emmanuel ?
Or a second Moses ? Or David ? Or Job ?
But those were far too sacred, she guessed,
Or seeking to conquer the globe.
No, it seems that the Lord wants his son to blend,
And to not-stand-out from the crowd –
She’s disappointed, but understands –
Best not to proclaim too loud !
Yet, if he makes it, then one day perhaps,
His average name shall ring !
And the other parents will all then avoid
This moniker of a king !
Just as long as he wouldn’t end-up as a curse,
To be spat in disgust –
She’d hate his name to be taken in vain,
Or exclaimed in moments of lust…
But anyway, it was out of her hands –
She’ll love him, whatever his name.
And if God wants Josh, then Josh he must be –
For the world has a prior claim.
Rhyming Couplets 