Gethsemane

Easter poem

Gethsemane

It was the debate
of a lifetime,
the decision
of an eternity.
Who would have given
boredom,
the late hour,
the heavy meal,
as an excuse for
dozing off
while a universe
held its breath
in anticipation of
rescue?

But in a shadowed
garden, as he knelt
among rocks and
fallen figs
crying aloud
to the heart of heaven,
they slept.

Later they wondered
why he came to them
in tears and
whispers, asking
“Could you not remain
awake with me
one hour?”

—Sally Sampson Craft