I don’t need me no
Pharisees, no Sadducees,
no, “This be Easter, you think
how I please!”
I ain’t no student of
history, of sanctity nor theology,
but I like me the story from Galilee
of a man who walked with a band of 3,
6, 9, 12…the crowds kept growin’
and he kept on knowin’
what resided in his heart
though it tore his folks apart
‘cause he wouldn’t play the part
of a dutiful son, an obedient one…
I’ve a message to share
from the guy up there
or the guy in here,
doesn’t matter where you put him,
what you call him, maybe she,
maybe all, or the You of bloody yous.
I bring you good news!
Hear me out there?
I BRING GOOD NEWS!
All you gotta do is—
hahaha!
Think I’m gonna tell ya?
Nuh, uh, uh!
You’ve heard it all before
and you put it on a shelf.
You gotta love your neighbour
the way you love yourself.
Set no one else above you
(ergo, no one else below)
It’s the whole of the law, bro,
whole of the law,
grammatical declension
of a singular intention—
the more of what you think
creates the more of
what you grow.
Sure, you can doubt
or disbelieve ascension.
You could also turn your cheek,
deprive naysayers of attention,
let them woefully begone
to their zealotry conventions.
Finding others who agree
is not a new invention!
Hell, I said I wouldn’t tell,
I’ve gone ahead and done it.
It must be all those hot cross buns
and bunnies made of chocolate.
It’s Easter, folks,
and though you may
not see the dove above you,
just know, the mighty heavens do—
and all of us, we love ya!
~~~
© Elaine Stirling, 2017
The beautiful “Garden of Gethsemane” painting is by Victoria Rogers.
