We’ve got two holy days going today: for Western Christians, it’s
Good Friday, the day Jesus of Nazareth was crucified. And at sundown tonight,
Pesach begins for Jews, honoring the Exodus from Egypt. Because it’s generally
accepted that the Last Supper was a Seder, it seems appropriate that I offer a
poem to commemorate each, and I’ve chosen entries from two contemporary poets.
Maria Melendez Kolson teaches literature and writing at Pueblo
Community College, in Pueblo, Colorado. She herself writes of the Latinx
experience in America. Her “Good Friday” is intimate as she confesses her
shortcomings (reminding me a little of Saint Augustine’s “Lord, grant me
chastity and continence. But not yet.”). I like it a lot.
“Good Friday”
Jesus,
I want my sins back.
My
prattle, pride, and private prices —
climbing,
clinching, clocking —
I
might loan you a few for the evening,
so
you don’t show up at your own crucifixion
naked
of all purpose.
But
for God’s sake, don’t spill any
redemption
on them! They’re my
signature
looks. Body by Envy.
Make
up & wardrobe provided by Avarice. Lord,
if
you take away my inordinate cravings,
what
the hell’s left? Do you know
how
much I paid for my best rages?
I
want them all back if they’re
so To
Die For. Else shred my palms,
wash
my face with spit, let the whip
unlace
my flesh and free the naked blood,
let me
be tumbled to immortality
with
the stew of flood debris
that
is my life.
Likewise, the focus of South African-born poet Bracha Meschaninov’s
“Pesach” is personal and honest. She lives in New York, with her husband and
six children, so this feels authentic.
“Pesach”
House cleaned
more or less
kitchen surfaces covered
more or less
food ready
more or less
an experience of redemption
more or less
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