By Night

Shepherds watching their December flocks
May see them grow, then suddenly recede
Into the distance, while their absence mocks
The present sheep, who come each day to feed.
Their careful nuture and their watchful care
Are not enough to make the rams all stay
For they are used to forage everywhere
And do not linger long upon their way.
But once or twice a year do they return
Visiting the pasture, but not staying;
And in sad time the shepherds come to learn
They cannot properly be chid for straying
That wander only; but they can be said
To be among the flock who're sometimes fed.