Sestina for Palm Sunday

Tags

Assisi frescoes, Balaam, Hosanna!, Messiah, Palm Sunday, Pharisees, Pietro Lorenzetti, Roman rule, San Francesco, sestina, Sion

(Pietro Lorenzetti, Assisi fresco: San Francesco S Transept

http://www.aiwaz.ner/panopticon/lorenzetti-pietro/gi58po)

 

 

So, if you are challenged about the ass,

just say ‘ The Lord hath need of it,’ He said.

I’m coming to them as a different king,

envisaging another kind of rule.

My humble steed will show them that the meek

will ultimately rule over the earth.

 

The disciples obeyed, but ‘What on earth

is He doing?’ they questioned. ‘A dumb ass!’

We hope its owner, when he’s asked, is meek;

remembers once upon a time, he said

he’d lend Him it.  For Friendship’s golden rule

is not to lend, unless it’s to a king.

 

Growing crowds cried:  ‘Hosanna to the King!’

‘Blessed be He who comes down to our Earth

in the name of the Lord.  O, let Him rule

We recall Balaam and his talking ass.

What miracle will there be next?’  They said:

‘It’s strange a Messiah should look so meek.’

 

The Pharisees were anything but meek;

were unimpressed by any kind of king.

‘The world has gone after Him!’ they all said.

‘They think their Saviour has come down to Earth.

Well, they are all simple peasants.  His ass

may well understand more of Roman rule.

 

This upstart seems to break every rule;

He affects to be quite harmless and meek.

We recognise reference to an ass

and how, sitting on a colt, Sion’s king

will come.  He’s announcing His reign on Earth.

We don’t like this Hosanna! stuff,’  they said.

 

‘Master, rebuke your disciples!‘ they said.

‘Who do you think you are that you should rule

over us?  We’ll teach you how to be meek.

Apart from Caesar, there isn’t a king.

Anyone who disagrees is an ass.

 

But the people cast cloaks before the ass,

acknowledging Christ’s rule; hailing Him King

and said: May this meek one rule forever!

 

 

Vox Populi

Tags

Barabbas, Ecce Homo, Herod, Judea, Messiah, Paschal, Passover, Pontius Pilate, Prefecture, Procula, Sanhedrin

A sestina for our times:

 

Pilate stood before the Passover mob.

Besieged, he offered them a Paschal vote:

Barabbas over Jesus was a shock-

insurrectionist over a prophet?

The Governor washed his hands of their choice.

This ‘Messiah’ was no uncouth rebel.

 

The crowd chose Barabbas just to rebel

and, punishing themselves is what the mob

love to do.  They see it as their free choice;

their chance to demonstrate their power; to vote.

They prefer to crucify a prophet:

enjoy giving the powers-that-be a shock.

 

Pilate’s wife had had a nightmarish shock.

She said, I don’t want to usurp; rebel

against you, but I must say that this ‘prophet’-

although he’s stirred up hatred from the mob-

would get from me a Messianic vote,

though, clearly, he is not the High Priest’s choice.

 

She flounced out:  It’s up to you; it’s your choice.

To Pilate his wife’s comments were  a shock,

but, after all, she didn’t have a vote.

He’d never known Procula to rebel.

Let her go out and face a rabid mob…

You wouldn’t need to be a seer, prophet

 

to predict that outcome.  No prophet

is ever successful; his country’s choice

and it will be no different with this mob.

I couldn’t imagine the after-shock

if I released this man.  I’m no rebel.

Ecce homo!  I’ll put it to the vote.

 

The thing to do is with my feet to vote;

sit on the fence; let them judge the ‘Prophet.’

Even Herod said he was no rebel.

Judea would never have been my choice

and, getting the Prefecture, was a shock-

those Sanhedrin just as vile as that mob.

 

Why should I find the people’s choice a shock?

Give the mob an option and let them vote:

rebel will trump prophet any day.