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Yet [*/+/^] : 27.225 MHz, Some Final Measures; An Old Fisherman, Caught In Rome's Dragnet

[With gratitude to Patriciajj]


Jesus saith to him. . . when thou shalt be old . . . another shall gird thee . . .

---John 21:17-18


I wonder what he thought of, quietly,

hung on those beams, inverted, upside down

as Rome's great murder weapon worked to take

his life from him.  Did he think of the lake?---

of long nights' fishing, and placidity

at dawn and dusk, and sometimes a wild squall?

Death, coming to him, did not pause or stall;

and he would not return to Galilee

again.  But he was not afraid to die;

nor looked for some grim reaper to appear.

He knew that in the twilight he would see

his Friend and Savior, Jesus, and would hear

that gentle voice say, once more, "Do not fear, 

"for I am right here with you:  yes, it is I."


Starward

[*/+/^] 

Author's Notes/Comments: 

While reading a comment I received today from Patriciajj---one of the great pillars of PostPoems---I began to feel this poem stirring to assemble itself.  I have had to think, lately, of my own death, which may be closer than might be expected.  Because this poem began to coalesce while I was reading Patricia's comment, this acknowledgement seems appropriate.  


According to sacred Christian legend, which need not be doubted, the Apostle Saint Peter was crucified upside down at his own request, because he felt unworthy to die as Jesus had died in crucifixion.  

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last updated 19 May 2024 - 5:14am
©1 October 2023 - 11:09am — S74rw4rd
2 October 2023 - 6:43am — patriciajj
patriciajj's picture

Positively one of your

Positively one of your greatest achievements on so many levels. First, it moved me, and to deeply move the reader is enough, in my humble opinion, to call a poem great.

 

With poetic sleight of hand, ingenious simplicity and penetrating theological insight, you raised our vision far above this chaotic world with its countless tragedies, the greatest perhaps being the tortuous murder of an innocent, persecuted person.  

 

And yet in the center of the most agonizing storm, you part the clouds of our narrow human focus and unleash a torrent of consoling, embracing, soul-altering light.

 

I say this without hesitation and in all honesty: this is magnificent, heart-clutching art, and I'm deeply honored, overwhelmed actually, by the dedication.

 

God bless.

 
2 October 2023 - 7:02am — S74rw4rd
S74rw4rd's picture

Thank you for that very

Thank you for that very complimentary comment.  Knowing my verbosity, perhaps you will pardon me for sharing an anecdote about this poem, an incident that took place shortly after I posted it.


During my high school and college years, I often experienced test anxiety, and it continued to aggravate me long after I left those academic institutions.  I have often believed that death is the final test given in the school of life, and while I am not afraid (in the theological sense) of my death (thanks to my Faith), I have often been afraid of how I will face those last moments---being what I am, an inevitable screw-up.  


After I posted the poem, that "still small voice" that has been so quick and kind to guide me at important junctures, the voice I heard as far back as July, 1974, that Friday night when I left my bed, after being asleep, to step outside and look at the stars . . . that voice said to me that the last two lines of the poem are to remind me of all the times Jesus said, in the Gospels, "Do not be afraid," and that I should cling to that aspect of the Scriptures in the final, waning moment.  

Starward

4 October 2023 - 2:12am — patriciajj
patriciajj's picture

There's absolutely no doubt

There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that the "still small voice" that awakened your spirit in '74 will lead you safely home. You can't get it wrong.

 

But I don't like to think about that day. Right now, in this moment of astronomical importance, you are an outstretched hand to those who are sinking and a poetic beacon in the dark. Never doubt that.

 

Be blessed.

6 October 2023 - 11:39am — S74rw4rd
S74rw4rd's picture

Thank you very much for those

Thank you very much for those words, and please forgive my delay in replying.  Yesterday, the catheter failed again, but we were able to fix the problem temporarily.  This afternoon I see the podiatrist to find out how bad my feet have gotten during this overall affliction.  October is going to be a bit of a rough patch for me, with the various medical consultations that have been schedulled.  


Thank you so much for the complimentary remarks; your words sustain me when I get down in the dumps, like I have been the last few days.  I h ave accomplished one thing:  my collection at pospoems is complete to the extent that I have it arranged now as I want it to be.  What I add to it, going forward, will be bonus.  The essentials, as I have wanted them to be, are in there and need not be further adjusted.  So, if I am close to the time to soar out of here, I can feel that I my poems, as they are right now, are what I want to leave behind when that time comes.  I still have a couple of poems I feel I need to write, but if I cannot, due to medical circumstances, I will not feel like a failure.  

Starward