She bent over the bare page
and remembered the scenes
on the news and groaned
How to put into words
the horror and human degradation?
—————-
As someone thinks it’s a right
thing to snatch away lives,
break bodies like shells
and dreams and smash
and crush into fragmentation.
—————————-
She saw the bloodied floor
a cross high on a wall,
one bloodied corpse striving
to slip its nails and be
present in the vile confusion.
———————–
It was like an earthquake when it happened;
his soul dropping into the flayed flesh
with a thump.
————————-
He lay shocked by the immanence of the bloodied corpse
the frigid flesh and the cold of the darkling tomb.
He fought to move fingers
and lifted his head, scarred by thorns
and saw the fissures and flaws
created by sword and whip
and nails and strangulation.
—————–
A beating blood pulsing heart;
a breath filled breast and
each beat battering his pain filled
feeble frame.
——————
He felt the stirring of the breeze
through the open doorway, ruffling
his hair and warming his strength, sapped
muscles and stiffened scars which
crack open as he crawls on all fours
to the wall where he pulled
himself to his nail holed feet.
——————–
The stone wall shifted under his hands
but angels assisted,
while he shuffled his feet and a
groan echoed the grave.
———————-
Leaving the hallowed space
heaving his body across
the blinded garden, he moved more
freely each step of his naked self.
————————
He leaned against the hand worn
wood; opened the door and took from
a hook a handyman’s robe,
and wore its wealth of
hard work and harvests.
——————–
The light grew as if from him.
——————–
Resting for a moment he thought
to pray, but hurrying footsteps
raised his head
as his women exclaimed,
dropped their baskets and bolted,
panicked by an angel’s words.
———————
He knew he could trust her as she
returned to the stones. Peter and
John running ahead of her
and then, leaving her to weep alone,
as they rushed off to ratify her report.
———————–
He rose, unsteady still,
slowly strolled over to her,
watched her stoop into the grave
twisting around as she heard his gait.
——————-
He looked at her and spoke his first words
‘Woman, Why are you weeping?’
Faithful Mary, asking
for his body back with tears
strewn on a grief shadowed face.
———————–
This was the moment, for which angels
waited with wondering eyes,
bowed knees to the one who overcame.
——————
His body and soul united uttered ‘Mary.”
His love filled voice opened her eyes.
“Teacher!’
she reaching, he stepped back
from human embracing
til he would be in union again.
He longed to hug and hold
but knew resurrection was
not something for possession
but for giving gratefully
and speaking release to his leader
said ,
“Go,
and
tell.’
What was that?’ Mary asked
sharply. ‘You thought he would
be with the little ones and the women?
when now he is a man
to be numbered amongst men!’
——————————–
Tears on her lashes, Mary’s anger
spilled over to the one who
had given her this precious
child, a boy who was now
wretched and wilful.
———————————-
‘Help us find him,’ she whispered.
————————————-
Joseph and Mary
trod the long agonising
road to the golden glowing dome.
—————————————
Each time they searched the bleak barrenness
around them, and the dark filled hollows
they expected to find his
battered
body.
——————————–
Time and time again they thought, there
he is, only to find
some camp left filth, frantically
Joseph searched through
while the rotting food stuffs
filled his nostrils with
Despair.
—————————–
As the red orb of the sun dropped
below the barren hills,
two bedraggled figures walked through
the city gate. Hopelessly they
turned to each other and in their distress
mutely blaming the other.
They sheltered for the night behind
the sturdy stone in a safe refuge.
Curling on the floor of a
friend’s house they
sleepless, prayed ceaselessly for him to be Just Found.
——————————
At first light as it crept through
the windows revealing
their exhaustion, shadowing their
strained faces
they shook off
grief and grogginess
and hungry for their son
searched the city,
——————————–
Slowly they moved, asking gesturing and begging for someone anyone to remember.
a tousled head
in a Galilean robe.
———————–
Heads shook.
No one was sure
as they pondered and remembered
dozens of ruffled haired runaways.
Mary kicked a lose stone,
while tears flowed freely
and the guilt ground into her .
——————————
The shock shook her as she felt again
The shame of her pregnancy.
The joy of his birth
The angels and shepherds words
And watching him grow, and a voice
Screamed in her, how could it happen
So quickly. No one can comfort me, for
I have lost the son of God.
———————–
Gabriel you chose the wrong woman.
———————
Joseph leaned towards her,
his eyes red rimmed and caring,
We are in this, we two together.
‘We will find him. Trust God and
the angels to care for their own.
——————————-
They went into the temple to pray
To the God who overshadowed her
And brought Jesus to be in her womb.
————————————
Mary recalled Anna and Simeon.
What would they say to her now?
She bowed her head and
felt the stinging sorrow and
shame that speared her soul.
——————————–
Joseph to the privileged place of men,
while she only a woman
waited and asked, ‘Have you see my son?’
She bowed to pray, hugging pain,
and a touching hand light on her shoulder
pointed to Joseph trying for attention.
She rose swiftly and slipped away looking
intently at his smile.
——————————-
A smile –she struggled to return.
————————————-
Joseph turned and she followed
and stood
outside looking in and
saw Jesus, sitting there waving his hands
as he talked to the select of the synagogue;
intent, interested and immersed.
——————————————-
Unsmiling now, Joseph, was by his side and
bowing to the men brought the joyful Jesus
through the throng to his
angry, anxious mother who
checking him for harm and spoke sharply,
asked the child of God ‘Why have you treated us like this? How could you frighten us so?
Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.
We were so worried?’
————————-
Surprised he spoke
the unanswerable line.
‘Didn’t you know I had to be
in my Father’s house?
—————————–
Joseph lurched, it had come,
he was
no longer father.
And threatening tears stung his eyes as
they walked on towards the city gate
Jesus eating the food they had brought.
——————————–
Joseph stayed Mary and
spoke from his pain,
‘He is a man.
He knows who he is.’
And together they
hurried after,
their grief fading
his growing,
hearing the views of
the elders.
(Luke chapter 2: 41-50)
‘What was that?’ Mary asked
sharply. ‘You thought he would
be with the little ones and the women?
when now he is a man
to be numbered amongst men!’
——————————–
Tears on her lashes, Mary’s anger
spilled over to the one who
had given her this precious
child, a boy who was now
wretched and wilful.
———————————-
‘Help us find him,’ she whispered.
————————————-
Joseph and Mary
trod the long agonising
road to the golden glowing dome.
—————————————
——————————–
Time and time again they thought, there
he is, only to find
some camp left filth, frantically
Joseph searched through
while the rotting food stuffs
filled his nostrils with
Despair.
—————————–
As the red orb of the sun dropped
below the barren hills,
two bedraggled figures walked through
the city gate. Hopelessly they
turned to each other and in their distress
mutely blaming the other.
They sheltered for the night behind
the sturdy stone in a safe refuge.
Curling on the floor of a
friend’s house they
sleepless, prayed ceaselessly for him to be Just Found.
——————————
At first light as it crept through
the windows revealing
their exhaustion, shadowing their
strained faces
they shook off
grief and grogginess
and hungry for their son
searched the city,
——————————–
Slowly they moved, asking gesturing and begging for someone anyone to remember.
a tousled head
in a Galilean robe.
———————–
Heads shook.
No one was sure
as they pondered and remembered
dozens of ruffled haired runaways.
Mary kicked a lose stone,
while tears flowed freely
and the guilt ground into her .
——————————
The shock shook her as she felt again
The shame of her pregnancy.
The joy of his birth
The angels and shepherds words
And watching him grow, and a voice
Screamed in her, how could it happen
So quickly. No one can comfort me, for
I have lost the son of God.
———————–
Gabriel you chose the wrong woman.
———————
Joseph leaned towards her,
his eyes red rimmed and caring,
We are in this, we two together.
‘We will find him. Trust God and
the angels to care for their own.
——————————-
They went into the temple to pray
To the God who overshadowed her
And brought Jesus to be in her womb.
————————————
Mary recalled Anna and Simeon.
What would they say to her now?
She bowed her head and
felt the stinging sorrow and
shame that speared her soul.
——————————–
Joseph to the privileged place of men,
while she only a woman
waited and asked, ‘Have you see my son?’
She bowed to pray, hugging pain,
and a touching hand light on her shoulder
pointed to Joseph trying for attention.
She rose swiftly and slipped away looking
intently at his smile.
——————————-
A smile –she struggled to return.
————————————-
Joseph turned and she followed
and stood
outside looking in and
saw Jesus, sitting there waving his hands
as he talked to the select of the synagogue;
intent, interested and immersed.
——————————————-
Unsmiling now, Joseph, was by his side and
bowing to the men brought the joyful Jesus
through the throng to his
angry, anxious mother who
checking him for harm and spoke sharply,
asked the child of God ‘Why have you treated us like this? How could you frighten us so?
Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.
We were so worried?’
————————-
Surprised he spoke
the unanswerable line.
‘Didn’t you know I had to be
in my Father’s house?
—————————–
Joseph lurched, It had come,
he was
no longer father.
And threatening tears stung his eyes as
they walked on towards the city gate
Jesus eating the food they had brought.
——————————–
Joseph stayed Mary and
spoke from his pain,
‘He is a man.
He knows who he is.’
And together they
hurried after
their grief fading
and his growing,
hearing the views of
the elders.