Poem: Tenebrae

Tenebrae

One by one the candles sputter
And die.
The lessons have been read,
All has been said,
And Christ hangs lifeless on the tree.
The Book has been slammed shut
And the people file out wordlessly;
The joy of Christmas
Replaced by endless sorrow.

Our God is vanquished,
Darkness reigns,
And the devil laughs to himself
In hell
As people cry out in agony,
"All is lost.
The battle is over.
The enemy rules supreme."

The cries rush like the tide
Through my soul,
Mouthing what I've known for years --
Death is victorious,
Christ lies dead and rotting
In the tomb.

He lies in the tomb,
But just for the weekend.
Easter morn shall surely come
And the Son of Man
Shall rise again in splendour.

(c) J S Phillips