gethsemane

Read Luke 22:39-53

i keep such a
death grip on
my way of being/doing
that i am fatigued
by breakfast:

was it an uphill struggle
for you
to turn your dreams
loose into the garden mist,
and walk into
God's hope
for the world?

i get a caustic
taste in my heart
when i try to pray
for those
whose flung words
and turned backs
broke my spirit:

was it as distasteful
for you
to keep loving, forgiving,
accepting your friends
with their asleep-at-the-switch
attitude?

it is so easy for us
to grab the nearest
spite to throw in
another's face,
or to bash them
with a dose of bitterness:

did you have to keep
your hands tucked deep
in your pockets,
so as not to slap
your friend's face
as he kissed yours?

was it easier said
than done
for you
to hand your glory
to the angels
and put on
weak,
willful,
stubborn,
disbelieving
us?

(c) 2008 Thom M. Shuman