The 13th of October dawns
My father, he was born on that day
He wanted to see Bethlehem
But thought it was too far away
Saint Edward the Confessor’s feast
Last monarch of the royal houses
Appealed to in severe despair
Saint of Separate Spouses
I watched the hostages returned
The smiles of welcome and relief
And as I saw the scene unfold
Felt something more like disbelief
The opportunities to date
Had all been missed we know, alas
And yet without a doubt we see
What could not be has come to pass
My heart is filled with hope for change
It wants to give a joyful roar
But though the peace is holding now
We’ve seen collapses there before
As fragile as a house of sticks
As brittle as a songbird’s shell
Broken by a single hand
Who wishes ill instead of well
And yet the leaders of the world
Have left their palaces of stone
To show the People of the Books
That in their hopes, they’re not alone
While here at home the pundits try
To see if they can tear it down
Unwilling to give credit to
The man they say would claim a crown
We know the tragedies of war
Horror, pestilence, distress
We ought to celebrate the fact
Today we have one less
St. Edward must be so excited
To see these spouses reunited