"in pace"
many Easter surfaces
textures
are soft
bunnies
chocolates
baskets
(grass
inside)
marshmallows
even eggs
yet how harsh to get here
via Triduum
even the more bearable parts
yet
the garden
blood
in prayer
arrest and condemnation
the death
the awful death
struggling to breathe while pushing
legs up
on the long branch of
the cross
then burial
finality
everything over
waiting only
for
remnant followers
to be finished
too
then
at the tomb
open
persons to say
to go on saying
that
the one
was there has
risen
resurrection once for all and
now
reason for faith
jubilance
and alleluia
so
maybe
through all of that
even the grander celebration
some
softness
is appreciable
for
pleasure and for comfort
if
catharsis then catharsis
though there’s more
while not
to take from doctrine
or
from liturgy
maybe
frankly
though
to trade a little on
any
easier aspects of
the peace that passes understanding
promised by
today
clc
Philippians 4:7
photo by Aleksei Agafonov on Unsplash
must be an unholy day
the Romans hate us
which is easy
in so easy a hard
and harsh land
but our own
too
our people loathe us
hate us
people scorned within a people scorned
the larger group
too easy to be crying crucify
again
without even a Barabbas
to be freed in
irony of law
no trick for us of
politics
we shall simply be found
and ended
with the teaching
with
the message
and
somehow
maybe because we know the devil
is involved
we know the hatred isn’t Roman
is not
Judean
but something both
deeper and on the surface
temptation within
hatred expressed
in fear
in rage
a human thing
more than any group
even of
promises
or who seem to be the rulers
of the Earth
we many say
in darkness
now
the all of us killed the one
whom
came to save through reconciliation
all of us killed
one
who now is gone
and we wait
without waiting
for
who expects more after the finality
of death
not Roman
not Judean
all of us on either side
and from all sides
from
the wreckage of Eden
where
the devil also won before
finally a curse
and aren’t we all cursed
and now
enough philosophy
or
hoping something out of meditation
rather
now
we turn
we hide away
we wait for
not a thing
worth
the waiting
c l couch
for Holy (also ironic) Saturday
photo by Aleksei Agafonov on Unsplash
tenebrous
the devil wins
today
having turned the human forces
in the world
toward
death
humiliation of what’s good
even perfect
that traditions
say
came to save us from
ongoing
serpent
temptation
the twisting of what has been made
so good
bad
grotesque
the evil these point
toward has
won
without awareness
then
of three-day’s waiting time
the good is gone
or
must hide
surrender to new nothingness
of faith
and hope
and
love
c l couch
for Good (ironic) Friday
photo by Aleksei Agafonov on Unsplash
Hearing a New Commandment
Bread and wine
For body
Wind for spirit
Earth
For creation
These show the nature of
The Lord
In closest metaphors
Like mustard seeds
For faith
And there are other metaphors
For appreciation
And
For learning
But these are things we have
And may know
Easily
Even rather thoroughly
That any might believe in
What they represent
And so
Have faith
In the intimate way
The better things are and have
Been made
Bread
Wine
Wind
Earth
Learn
Believe
Love
Live
C L Couch
for Maundy Thursday
John 13:34-35 (and in Matthew 22)
Matthew 11:15, 13:9
Photo by Assad Tanoli on Unsplash
in waiting
waiting as in stillness plus
waiting as in serving
stillness
and serving
the God beside us
in waiting
is waiting
c l couch
Revelation 3:20
Revelation 21:5
photo by Yucel Moran on Unsplash
bitter
the herbs of Passover
or what
sin-eaters eat
when it’s more than salt
with bread
though
salt is pretty bitter
on its own
and then there’s the attitude toward
life
after
disappointment
even within
unscaled perspective
we don’t get what we want
so life is
bad
it’s wrong
it’s bitter
although what we may want is exactly
what is needed
so maybe what we want’s
the issue
what
for whom
and how
nothing new in this
in that
life goes this way or that
becomes
quite trite
in fact
(and pardon rhymes at
times)
and still we want life
I want mine
you should want yours
so hang on through
the bitter
please
self-determined or pushed
maybe dropped
on
heavily
by the world
there’s more
and it could be challenging
maybe with
a way to see
to bear
the bitter
and-or
who knows
a time in life
(life time)
could turn sweet
if
and most likely not
forever
yet
which is why we have and own the term
for terms
the times
the joined word that is
the lively paradox
of
bittersweet
c l couch
photo by freestocks on Unsplash
house of affliction
it’s a hard story
and an odd
one
about Lazarus
who died
and Jesus delayed in coming
to the family
while Lazarus was ill
so Jesus was not there in
time
to Bethany
maybe
to heal Lazarus
while alive
and
didn’t we know by now that Jesus could
do this
though now he couldn’t fix
even with mud
or adjuration
because
Lazarus was beyond
even extraordinary healing
but his
spirit gone
the body wrapped and thus entombed
and when
Jesus got there
did he not receive some scolding
for his
lateness
though such comments borne in love no
doubt
and Jesus moved now
toward
the tomb of Lazarus
regardless
and
even though he was warned
away out of
practical considerations of
how might be the body after time
had
passed
but Jesus
as if all could know
was
sad
as if stricken for the life of Lazarus now
gone from Earth
and
we know
Jesus
wept
and then turned from crying
toward
commanding as
he might rebuke the storm at sea
or take on the Pharisees
of the day
ordering the gravestone to be pushed or pulled
away
and then
more stentorian
I think to call
to
shout
that Lazarus should
come out
and
still wrapped
in
shroud cloth
did
Lazarus
appear
and there should be fear
with reason
and then after the certainty of life
the certainty of
joy
and
for those who think
only a God
if God
can return to life
even on
Earth
well
here’s our story
of a human only human who
got to do that
not
to show us how but
to return
and then to show us how
c l couch
John 11
image provided by Europeana at Unsplash
Kermitage
I’d like my alone place
To have
Green
I’d like to sing
And ride a bicycle
And live
Some parts of animated
Miracles
I’d like some time to contemplate
And then I’d like my green self
To find
Company with others
Maybe on a sunlit street
Or on a grander set
Or if a pond
A pond
That might be a homecoming
Anyway
Some place small or large
With people small
And large
Who look like me
Or never shall
And so be wonder to me
Maybe to
All
All the time
Green
And otherwise
My being green
At
Least in part
Forever
C L Couch
on Palm Sunday
Photo by Jack Shen on Unsplash
The Explorers
Gagarin
And then Shepard
And all those who strived
To fly
And couldn’t
Because the experiments were
Unsuccessful and
Also
Something untoward happened
Loss of life so that others
Of us could go
Up there
Frank loss
Before Gagarin
After
Shepard
The cost like that paid
By
Icarus
To soar toward the sun
More than
The waxen body’s made
And yet
Crazy
And extraordinary
We go
And keep
On going
‘Til the satellites
Than the ships
Then
Space stations
Now
Moon
Once down though now
To live there
Now Mars
Inside our time
Our
Reach
It’s danger clearly
Also
Vision and new
Industry
Even good for business
(tin foil
and the microwave from the moon
race)
Though more the skill of hands
Pushed by minds
And hope
To take
Us there
And there and there
C L Couch
International Day of Human Space Flight
Photo by Planet Volumes on Unsplash
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