by Pavel Chichikov
The crucifixion's not a painting
The deposition from the Cross is not a carving
The whipping and the crowning are not framed plaques –
Close as your one-eyed face – the nail in your foot
Obstinate pain – how stubborn He must be
To feel the pangs of His created souls,
He suffers what His law submits us to,
Puts His own hand inside the vice He made
Inside the building He created
Stands silver being with a tyrant's face –
Suave and glossy with reflected light
It shows the silver features of its human acolytes
This temple with its dry stream inside,
The heart of us which must contract before it flows,
Will break – the veil of holies rip and tear in two,
The seam of earth's two-fold door divide
Visit Pavel's website at Grey Owl Press.