Look at this!
Branches off the trees . . .
old cloaks on the road,
all trampled and torn . . .
donkey droppings,
right up to the Temple steps . . .
This all has something to do
with that Jesus fellow, doesn’t it?
Doesn’t he know some of us have to clean this up?
Doesn’t he care?
What did I ever do to him?
Look at this!
Lower class people,
children, making noise . . .
merchant traffic stopped . . .
noise, confusion,
all sorts of reports to file . . .
This all has something to do
with that Jesus fellow, doesn’t it?
Doesn’t he know some of us have to keep order here?
Doesn’t he care?
What did I ever do to him?
Look at this!
Feathers and droppings . . .
broken stalls, lost coins,
a days’ business lost . . .
lay-folks asking
all sorts of cheeky questions . . .
This all has something to do
with that Jesus fellow, doesn’t it?
Doesn’t he know some of us must keep things kosher?
Doesn’t he care?
What did I ever do to him?
Look at this!
A tree . . . dead now . . .
the trunk grey, lifeless . . .
no more fruit from this . . .
Anyone with sense
knows figs are out of season . . .
This all has something to do
with that Jesus fellow, doesn’t it?
Doesn’t he know some of us have orchards to tend?
Doesn’t he care?
What did I ever do to him?
What did any of us ever do to him?
What could be coming next?
My favorite in your poetry series so far James! Thank you for consistently providing something contemplative and experiential for our Lenten journey.