“Palm Sunday”
Joyce Rupp
Three men
proclaiming the memory
of your path to Calvary.
Three men
with somber voices
making all the appropriate
pauses and inflections.
But what I remember
is the Calvary
beside me,
the man
whose body odor
invaded my space,
the man
seemingly homeless,
surely mentally
challenged.
The three men
went on and on and on
with their words
telling the history
of your suffering.
I found you
not in their stiff words
but next to me,
a man still bearing
the heavy cross
of loneliness and rejection.
“Palm Sunday” collected in My Soul Feels Lean: Poems of Loss and Restoration Sorinbooks, 2013
Photo Credit: Edited from The Homeless Epidemic at http://eng105project3.blogspot.com/?m=1
Spirituality Without Borders: Reflections on Spiritual Practice 
Amen.
LikeLike
Amen, indeed. Happy Easter, Mrs. Slocum!
LikeLike
Brilliant, Rita. Thank you.
LikeLike
Joyce Rupp IS a brilliant spirit. You are welcome, Mo.
LikeLike
most beautifully written. what a profound and true statement of what Calvary really means. thank you.
LikeLike
Isn’t it? I love the depth of soul Joyce Rupp brings us. This is from her book of last year, My Soul Feels Lean: Poems of Loss and Restoration.
LikeLike
I’m so glad Joyce’s poems spoke to you as well. It is taken from her new book, My Soul Feels Lean: Poems of Loss and Restoration. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
LikeLike
thank you for telling me about the book!! Amazon, here i come.
LikeLike
It is my pleasure.
“SWB: Reflections
LikeLike
Amen. Surely more real than the service from which I just returned.
LikeLike
Oh, I’m so sorry! Thank God for Joyce, though!
LikeLike