poetry

The lull before

After Mark 14:12-31

It is the usual meal,
the annual observance
of deliverance from
the angel of death
in the land of pharaoh,
the last and ultimate
plague foretold,
the death of the firstborn.
It is a celebration, yet
quiet and somber,
an annual thanksgiving
for salvation, redemption.

And yet. And yet.
This is different.
No plans are made.
It’s all last minute,
almost haphazard,
but directed, the man
with the water jug
will lead them 
to the house,
to the upper room.
Imagine the surprise
of the two disciples
told to do this.

They prepare the meal.

He talks of many things.
Betrayal by one present.
Betrayal by one who dips
bread.
He talks of the bread,
with a threefold command:
take it, eat it, understand it
as my body.
He talks of the wine,
with a threefold command:
take it, drink it, understand it
as my blood poured out.

They sing. They go 
to the olive groves
to rest, to pray.
The night begins.
It is the lull before.

Photograph by James Coleman via Unsplash. Used with permission.

The darkness

After Mark 15

The day that begins 
in darkness
and ends in darkness,
the day of arrest,
the day of trials,
the day of beatings,
the day of ridicule,
the day of mocking,
the day of scourging,
the day of jeering,
the day of carrying
a cross through crowds,
the day of spikes 
driven through hands,
the day of thirst,
that terrible thirst,
the day the father
who loves him
turns away,
the death of death.

The sky cracks open,
the earth shakes,
the darkness engulfs,
the curtain tears.

It is done.

Photograph by Jason Blackeye via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Saturday silence

After Mark 15:42-47

It is not the nothing day,
although it’s common 
to think of it as that,
a bridge between
the Friday of death
and the Sunday of life.
But it is preparation day,
actually, the time to be
used to prepare for Sabbath.
The body is sought.
The body is granted,
The body is taken down.
The body is wrapped in linen.
The body is taken to the tomb.
The body is placed there.
The stone is rolled to seal the tomb.
The body is left in darkness.
It is the day of preparation.
It is the day before Sabbath.

It is the day they hide themselves away,
the day they tremble in fear,
the day they expect the pounding
on the door, the day their fate
becomes what his has been.
But it is not that day, yet.

It is the day of preparation,
and the Sabbath comes.

Photograph by Maithilee Shetty via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Just a few words

After Mark 16:1-13

A decision made to go
and anoint meets the reality
of a stone blocking the way.
“But who will move it
for us?” they ask.
A legitimate question, 
answered by the new reality:
the stone was already
rolled away. No one
needed to do it for them;
it was already done.

And inside the cave
they find a young man,
sitting calmly, waiting
for them, dressed
in white, and pointing
to the empty shroud.
His few words explain
and give direction
to the new reality.

The heavens had split,
the earth had shook,
the curtain had torn,
and now time itself
had cracked wide open.

Photograph by Robert Koorenny via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Top photograph by Stephanie LeBlanc via Unsplash. Used with permission.