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Life, Found in the Shadow of Death
I was awoken by a thundering crash,
The prison door slammed open,
I flinched at the sound of a falling lash,
A Guard stood, towering against the light. Dressed in full armour, a sword by his side,
He gestured to me to move outside, fear racking me to the core,
I stayed where I was, but there was no place to hide,
Then more soldiers entered my cell & forced me through that door. I stumbled as I walked toward the prison gate,
Beyond was a crowd of noble citizens, gathered from all around
Screaming for blood, their voices full of venom & hate.
That's when I saw it lying lifeless on the ground. Made by no craftsman, it was made to serve a task,
It's ugliness holding on to my horrified fascination,,
Tears flowing freely, gone was my tough guy mask,
As they threw me down beside the wooden cross, my final destination. I struggled up slowly, rising to my feet,
Every move a nightmare, every thought still,
Faced the roaring crowds that packed the street.
Then put my shoulder under it and began to climb the hill. Through the roaring thong, the scream mass of humanity,
Pushed forward by the soldiers whips, not for a moment did they stop,
No feeling but fear, like a wild beast that has lost its sanity.
I slowly reached the very top. I struggled for an instance when they grabbed me from behind,
And forced me down on to the cross, to be crucified before the land
Then lashed my arms with the ropes that bind,
Screamed as one of them forced me to open my hand. Agony as the nail ran through the palm,
And another smashed into my feet & other hand,
I bowed my head, blessed by a shadow of deaths calm,
As they raised the cross up high into its stand. Through the agony and the flowing tears,
I could see the roaring crowds gathered to see the show for free,
For the first time I prayed, but it seems as if no one hears,
Thats when I noticed the cross on the hill next to me. Gathered all around it were the city's leaders and priests,
He looked just like any other man, hanging from that tree,
But the gathering at his feet were like demons gathered for their feasts,
So I looked at the sign they had nailed above his head for all the world
to see. Here was the King of all the land it said,
Ruler of the nation He had come to save,
The pain was numbing, confused by what I read,
I remember thinking that this must be just another knave.
I laughed at him, and jeered with the crowd,
But somehow my voice seemed to be empty, hollow,
My smile was fake and my laughter too loud,
Inside I felt cheap, my life suddenly shallow.
Then he looked up, and for a second his eyes met mine,
It seemed he looked deep inside the darkest regions of my soul,
As he watched me, I knew His righteousness & innocence had to be divine,
I felt as though I had been branded by a burning coal. His voice was soothing even at that time,
In disbelief I heard him pray for those who had us crucified,
And He? The one who had committed no crime
Pleading for his killers just before he died. My throat was dry and the words didn't seem from me,
" Lord remember me when you come into your throne."
He looked up, and I knew that my soul had been set free,
No longer was I excluded, no longer was I alone. " This day you will be with me in paradise "
His words took the deepest pain away,
Purified me of all my evil, taking away every sin, every vice,
For I knew with him, I would see heaven this day. The pain still racked my body, a very small price,
To see that face, to hear those words spoken,
To be privileged to die beside the Christ,
My spirit soared, though my body had been broken.
Then he raised himself up again towards the sky,
Pulling at the nails toward heaven as he cried,
Breathing deeply, filling his lungs for one last cry,
" It is finished ", and he bowed his head and he died.
As the man on the cross breathed his very last,
As the son of man paid the price, was crucified,
Across the entire land a shadow was cast,
Then for once in all time, the Almighty God cried. The wailing of the faithful, rend the strongest heart,
As the earth began to rumble, the sky a fearsome dark
Then the storm broke, the earthquake ripping the land apart,
Leaving the hill top desolate, deserted and stark.
D.J. Quinn
02 - 04 - 1999
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