Mary's Nettle
Horehound

When Mary saw the manger herbs,
She wept when she saw one.
 
It foreshadowed His betrayal,
Could His destiny be undone?
 
She tried to pluck it from the bedstraw,
But her efforts were in vain.
 
Its streams were intertwined,
His future'd been ordained.
 
This mattered not for Mary knew,
What a bitter herb implied.
 
It symbolized Christ's Jewish roots,
Foretold of how He'd die.
 
It graced Passover's table,
Spoke of sorrow suffering too.
 
Some things cannot be changed,
This, Mary knew.
 
Horehound, "Mary's Nettle,"
"Mother of God's Tea,"
 
Offers up a wish of good health,
For you and me.
 
Found in the manger stable,
Cradled underneath Christ's head.
 
Intertwined among the bedstraw,
Where Joseph made His bed.

©2005 by Dot McGinnis

"Mary's Nettle" Horehound