constructing poetry

a Christmas legend

they
say when
Christmas bells
ring midnight, the
animals break from
their feeding to stargaze—
and see angels singing. at
the sound, their tongues are loosed, and if
you are still awake (waiting for the
sound of reindeer hooves or a distant laugh),
you can hear them speaking. animals are
wise on a Christmas midnight. they speak
great truths of futures and pasts and
loves and losses. the little
kitten chasing her tail,
the puppy jumping,
if you hear them
whisper, stop.
listen.
hear.
they
have a
message for
you. some forecast
to make your future
special. pretend to sleep—
etiquette demands that when
human ears are aware, they must
keep quiet, and this hour is their
only chance to catch up on the doings
of far off places and exotic friends.
their time lasts only an hour. when
the clock tolls one, the heavens close.
when angels cease their singing,
animal tongues are tied,
left to meander
to their mangers,
empty of
any
words.

line count: 40

form: quadruple etheree:
http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/etheree.html

Prompt ▼

Bells. Could be bells or belles. Door bells, church bells, 'with bells on,' --any kind of bells--but used in conjunction with Christmas
Required words: stargazing, meander, etiquette, break, jump, ring.
Forbidden words: fly, wing, chime.
Additional parameters: any form (state form with link to how that form works) as long as it is at least 24 lines long. (Do a double or triple if necessary!)