A CEREMONY FOR REMEMBERING
EMMAUS
THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT HIS EYES
LIKE A SOLDIER OFF TO WAR
SAYING GOODBYE TO LOVED ONES
OR A SAILOR FOR A LONG LONG TRIP
WE'D WALKED THAT ROAD MANY TIMES
MY FRIEND AND I
IT HAD BECOME A BIT OF A TASK
WITH NOTHING NEW
TO BE DONE WITH SWIFTLY
AND DONE WITH
WITH PLEASURE AT EITHER END
BUT NOTHING IN THE JOURNEY
UNTIL THE STRANGER CAME TO WALK WITH US
THIS STRANGER
WITH RELUCTANT EYES
HE'D SIGHT A TREE AND CALL IT OUT BY NAME
A FLOWER
BIRD
OR SOME CREEPING THING
THE WAY THE SUN TOOK A CLOUD
AND LIT IT UP WITHIN
OR CAST LONG SHADOWS
LIKE THE SHADOWS
THAT SAT UPON OUR HEARTS
THAT DAY
WHY ARE YOU SO SAD
HE ASKED
AFTER A WHILE
WE'D LET HIM TALK FIRST
OUT OF COURTESY
HE SEEMED TO NEED TO TALK
WHY ARE YOU SO SAD
AND SO TO THIS MAN
WHO SEEMED SO EAGER FOR LIVING THINGS
WE TOLD HIM OF A DEATH
OF OUR FRIEND JESUS
WHO HAD DIED
AND TO USE HIS IMAGERY
PLUCKED LIKE A FLOWER
THAT WAS THROWN AWAY
PICKED WITHOUT PURPOSE
OF A MAN
WHO WHEN HE SPOKE
BOTH TESTED US AND JOYED US
OF THIS JOURNEY
THAT WE TOOK
WHICH WAS DOUBLY LONG
FOR WE CARRIED SADNESS TO EMMAUS
THERE WOULD BE NO PLEASURE THERE
THE BODY WAS GONE
OH THE WOMEN HYSTERICAL
HAD SAID HE WAS RISEN
BUT THE BODY WAS GONE
WHY SHOULD HE DIE
WE BELIEVED HIM CHOSEN OF GOD
WHY SHOULD HE DIE
PERHAPS BECAUSE WE WERE TOO NUMB TO SPEAK
HE TOOK OVER THE CONVERSATION
WHEN DID YOU LEARN TO LOVE YOUR FATHER HE SAID
WHEN I BECAME THE AGE HE WAS
WHEN I DISLIKED HIM
IT SOMEHOW MADE HIM DIFFERENT THEN
AND UNDERSTANDABLE
SO JESUS CAME HE SAID
TO BE THAT PARENT
TO BE THE ONE WHO WENT BEFORE
TO BE THE ONE WHO LIVED AND DIED
AND TO BE TRULY RISEN
AS THE WOMEN SAID
TO BE THE PARENT
WHO HAD GONE BEFORE
SO YOU COULD LEARN
TO LOVE HIM AS YOU GREW
AND THROUGH HIM
THE FATHER TOO
PERHAPS IT WAS THE CADENCE OF HIS VOICE
OR THE WORDS OR THE MAN HIMSELF
BUT WE FELT CALM
WE INVITED HIM TO SUP WITH US
IN OUR GARDEN IN THE EVENING COOL
FOR THE DAY HAD RUN AWAY
AND WE KNEW HIM IN THE BREAKING BREAD
AND THE WINE
THAT TOOK THE JOURNEY'S DUST AWAY
FRANK A VOLLMER
EMMAUS
THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT HIS EYES
LIKE A SOLDIER OFF TO WAR
SAYING GOODBYE TO LOVED ONES
OR A SAILOR FOR A LONG LONG TRIP
WE'D WALKED THAT ROAD MANY TIMES
MY FRIEND AND I
IT HAD BECOME A BIT OF A TASK
WITH NOTHING NEW
TO BE DONE WITH SWIFTLY
AND DONE WITH
WITH PLEASURE AT EITHER END
BUT NOTHING IN THE JOURNEY
UNTIL THE STRANGER CAME TO WALK WITH US
THIS STRANGER
WITH RELUCTANT EYES
HE'D SIGHT A TREE AND CALL IT OUT BY NAME
A FLOWER
BIRD
OR SOME CREEPING THING
THE WAY THE SUN TOOK A CLOUD
AND LIT IT UP WITHIN
OR CAST LONG SHADOWS
LIKE THE SHADOWS
THAT SAT UPON OUR HEARTS
THAT DAY
WHY ARE YOU SO SAD
HE ASKED
AFTER A WHILE
WE'D LET HIM TALK FIRST
OUT OF COURTESY
HE SEEMED TO NEED TO TALK
WHY ARE YOU SO SAD
AND SO TO THIS MAN
WHO SEEMED SO EAGER FOR LIVING THINGS
WE TOLD HIM OF A DEATH
OF OUR FRIEND JESUS
WHO HAD DIED
AND TO USE HIS IMAGERY
PLUCKED LIKE A FLOWER
THAT WAS THROWN AWAY
PICKED WITHOUT PURPOSE
OF A MAN
WHO WHEN HE SPOKE
BOTH TESTED US AND JOYED US
OF THIS JOURNEY
THAT WE TOOK
WHICH WAS DOUBLY LONG
FOR WE CARRIED SADNESS TO EMMAUS
THERE WOULD BE NO PLEASURE THERE
THE BODY WAS GONE
OH THE WOMEN HYSTERICAL
HAD SAID HE WAS RISEN
BUT THE BODY WAS GONE
WHY SHOULD HE DIE
WE BELIEVED HIM CHOSEN OF GOD
WHY SHOULD HE DIE
PERHAPS BECAUSE WE WERE TOO NUMB TO SPEAK
HE TOOK OVER THE CONVERSATION
WHEN DID YOU LEARN TO LOVE YOUR FATHER HE SAID
WHEN I BECAME THE AGE HE WAS
WHEN I DISLIKED HIM
IT SOMEHOW MADE HIM DIFFERENT THEN
AND UNDERSTANDABLE
SO JESUS CAME HE SAID
TO BE THAT PARENT
TO BE THE ONE WHO WENT BEFORE
TO BE THE ONE WHO LIVED AND DIED
AND TO BE TRULY RISEN
AS THE WOMEN SAID
TO BE THE PARENT
WHO HAD GONE BEFORE
SO YOU COULD LEARN
TO LOVE HIM AS YOU GREW
AND THROUGH HIM
THE FATHER TOO
PERHAPS IT WAS THE CADENCE OF HIS VOICE
OR THE WORDS OR THE MAN HIMSELF
BUT WE FELT CALM
WE INVITED HIM TO SUP WITH US
IN OUR GARDEN IN THE EVENING COOL
FOR THE DAY HAD RUN AWAY
AND WE KNEW HIM IN THE BREAKING BREAD
AND THE WINE
THAT TOOK THE JOURNEY'S DUST AWAY
FRANK A VOLLMER
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