Serenely starts a grave ceremony,
As a woman in white, she’s called a LEM,
Singly processes with the solemn Cross,
The product of rude New England woodcraft
Cut saplings, one six foot, the other four,
Short over long, and a third the way down
Are bound together arms to the body
With hemp twine wound tight, kinda’ Girl Scout-y
The LEM bows as to one who is adored,
Then she lays the cross on the Chancel floor,
While one by one we all pace up to kneel,
A solemn reverence to our Holy Lord
Invited to touch it, hold it, raise it,
Some just gave at it and are ponderous,
Mindful of it’s Holy consecration
Transmogrified embodiment, and wood
My turn, I kneel, and with my callused hands
How like a Simon of Cyrene I lift,
Glad to take its weight off, for a moment
Mindful of whose weight it was, who bore it
As I whispered there a silent prayer,
“Might I share too the sacrifice you bare,
Might I share too the heavy load you bore,
And bare with thee the burdens of our Lord”
Looking up brought the great revelation
This simple cross was no benign token,But the brand of Roman tyranny, fear,
The grievous tool of mighty oppression
It was the burning stake of the martyrs,
It was the noose and tree for the Negro,
The the electric chair to the false accused,
The smoking camps of the Holocaust’ wrath
Unable to bear its burgeoning weight
I was forced down by its boot on my neck,
Pressed upon my back, squeezing my own soul
Usurping my will, denying me breathe
I saw Mother, Friends, helplessly watching,
None could move and neither I, all was lost,
As the wires of twine tied me to its spars,
And rose me to a height beyond all hope
The sky was sparkling for the lack of air,
A gold mist, deaths’ million shimmering lights,
As a voice from the skylights above spoke;
“My Son, will you be martyred by faggots?”
Which revived me with a wondrous inhale,
My arms I pulled against the wooden cross bar
My back pressed against the unyielding post
As a snapping thunder rent through the Earth
The cross of oppression there was routed
Its arms broke off its back had splintered
The poles remaining I broke on my knee
And with this God set all His people free
I broke the Ritual that placed the Ritual above the Faith
I broke The Word that said no new Word could be The Word
I broke the Faith that this Faith is mine and that Faith yours
I broke the Law that made the Law above our Love
I broke the Truth that made abuse of Truth our Politic
I broke the Chain that Chains us to Death in servitude
I broke the Contract that Contracts us all to usury
I broke the Lease that Leases us back this Earth, our own
I broke the Conscience that could not Conscience this being done
I broke the False Cross that absolved our obligation,
to our neighbors, our brothers, our sisters, our parents and our children,
I broke it all because He broke it all
And I broke it all, because,
I Love You
