Manger

I slept in the manger on fresh hay
Quiet tiny Christ.
A month, emerging from the shadows,
I stroked the flax of his hair ...
The bull breathed into the baby's face
And, rustling like straw,
On an elastic knee
I watched, barely breathing.
Sparrows through the roof rails
They poured into the manger in a crowd,
And the bull, huddled against a niche,
I crumpled the blanket with my lip.
The dog, sneaking up to the warm leg,
Licked her secretly.
The cat was more comfortable
In a manger to warm a child sideways ...
Quiet White Goat
I breathed on his forehead,
Only a stupid gray donkey
He pushed everyone helplessly:
"Look at the child
At least a minute for me! "
And he cried loudly and loudly
In the silence before dawn ...
And Christ, opening his eyes,
Suddenly pushed apart the circle of animals
And with a smile full of affection
He whispered: "Look soon! .."

(S. Cherny)