by Pavel Chichikov
A woman prays before saint John
At first with folded hands, with eyes
Downcast, and then she raises them
Lifts her two hands from her sides
Dear friend, you were the friend of God
They write you knew Him as a man
And sat at table, shared His bread
Walked with Him through a dark wasteland
And did you then not feel some faith
In love and power sent by grace,
Or did you also feel the weight
Of cross and sorrow, loneliness
You doubting ran, the tomb to see,
You also fled Gethsemane –
Only death the pale unknown
Kept faith with the beloved One
Were you truly at the cross
And did you stand where Mary stood?
Did blood and water stain the wood
And did you hear His last distress?
If I had not seen afterward
His burial and His return
I too would have found a sword
A knife to stab, a house to burn
And then the pale one would have been
The last disciple, to the end.
But I have seen what you have read –
Believe, He rises from the dead
Visit Pavel's website at Grey Owl Press.
Note: Pavel will read selections of his poetry at Franciscan University (Steubenville, OH) on January 25, 2002. For more information contact Pavel via email.
