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[after the Four Holy Evangelists' Gospels]

Pilate caved in before the shouters' whim.
He sentenced that "King of the Jews" to death:
he gave the cross, once meant for me, to him.
He was drawn for the mounting process first.
The other two, my old friends, had to watch.
The soldiers drove nails through his wrists, and cursed
him for his silence which imposed a botch
upon their pleasure, which would be too slight.
They lifted the crosspiece to the upright---
fixed to the ground, to which they nailed his feet.
Still, not a scream from him; with struggling breath,
he broke their expectations with a prayer;
that they should be forgiven, then and there---
not knowing what they did.  Who would assert
that?  Each man in the detail was expert
in execution:  that was their conceit
on which they bragged, over their booze, at night.

Starward

[jlc]