my God,
would it be odd
if i prayed for you?
Jesus, heart of my heart,
heart of all the cosmos – your heart
struggled –
stammered –
stopped.
thank you.
(i am
so sorry.)
thank you.
when you walked the earth you lived to liberate,
to serve, to ease, to lead towards flourishing:
you broke down and sobbed
when those you loved were crying,
extended your hands to those
desperate for human touch,
invited the high-up
to come down and dine
with the ones you’d raised from the dirt –
and still, today, right now,
your very Breath rushes down
to comfort, to stir up, to galvanize:
unfurls Herself in hospital rooms
where breaths come labored – slow – and
stop;
gusts through grocery stores, buoys up
the worker with the fearful mind
and aching feet;
sweeps through power’s halls
upturning spreadsheets,
tugging at shirtsleeves.
but
just for today
the day you died
please
let me
pray for you
let me cry out with you
the cry ripped from your chest
as the cross claimed your breath,
dripped out your lifeblood,
throttled your lungs’ rising
My God! My God!…
Jesus, heart of my heart,
heart of all the cosmos!
will you take a little rest
in these hours your heart was stopped?
let us attend to the aching world
for just this little while.
how urgently i wish
i could stop your pain
pull out the nails my kin drove in-
to your skin and sinew
staunch the whole world’s bleeding
while you sleep the deep,
dreamless sleep of the tomb…
if i cannot do any of that,
then let me do this:
you who ache
with every broken heart,
who bruise alongside
every trampled body,
today
let me ache with you.
If you use this piece, please credit it to Avery Arden and link this website. I also invite you to email me at queerlychristian36@gmail.com to let me know how you’re using it!
About this poem:
This was my prayer for Good Friday, 2020: Jesus, every day of the year, every instant of eternity, you care for the oppressed, the sick, the despairing. You suffer alongside us. For just this day, let us suffer with you.
Binary-Breaking Worship 