A Poem for Good Friday

Embracing the death of who you thought you were

Very occasionally, with much trepidation, I dabble in writing poetry. I truly don’t know what I’m doing (at all), but sometimes I find that whatever is stirring within me comes out more poem-y than prose-y.

Here’s a poem I wrote a couple years ago that came to mind when I read this morning’s Gospel passage from the Daily Office Lectionary, where Peter tells Jesus he’s ready to lay down his life for him, and Jesus has to tell him that actually he’s going to deny him three times before sunrise (John 13:36-38).

He Went Outside and Wept Bitterly

When circumstances
occasion it,
much good
is accomplished
(indirectly, out of sight)
by giving yourself over
to bitter weeping;
embracing the death
of who you thought you were
and trusting
there is a more solid self
on the other side
of the drowning.

Because, after all
the only other option
is the other kind
of death, whether
slow or quick.