Good Friday Today Poem by James Tipp

Good Friday Today
The Via Dolorosa
Seems tragic.
Guns, soldiers, tear gas
All wait with anticipation
The pilgrims jostle
Stare, wonder;
The tragedy of yesterday
Dims into the tragedy of today.

Lord as you stumbled,
Sweated, screamed along this way
As the cross cut into your flesh
The wounds of the whips,
Stung and oozed
Was it all for this?
Was this all we could manage.

Good Friday Today
The deserts of compassion
Stand stark upon our maps.
Drought scorches the land
People starved of water
The life giver.
Cracked fly filled mouths
Plead into the cameras
Whilst we drink tea
Look on and wonder.
As you faced the agony of pain
Your mouth parched and fly filled,
You knew the pain
The helplessness.
‘ I thirst’ croaked out
From your cracked lips
Was it all for this?
Is this as far as we’ve come
Today

Good Friday Today
Terror struck the bomb explodes
Another life ceases, another tragedy,
In the catalogue of sickness.
The innocent die, by an unseen hand.
Who calls himself freedom fighter!
Patriot but never murderer
The families weep; crying “God why?
Why us? why them? ”

The darkness was complete
You entered your vigil of loneliness
The agony the pain, so terrible so complete
Everything was far away
Everyone so distant, event your Father of light;
Hidden I the clouds, of agony and pain.
On your lips the cry, “My God My God
Why have you forsaken me”
Was it all for this
Was this our only answer today