Manger and Cross: CGI by the Author
Nails
A baby’s hand
waves from a crude-wood manger.
An exquisite example
of that child’s creative genius:
soft, already marked
uniquely with Davidic fingerprints,
and bending, flexing
with the loveliness of new birth.
In that condition, utterly dependent
on the love and care
of a young, disgraced maiden .
The silky, small fingers
reach out involuntarily
beautifully ending in
tiny, perfect nails
A young man’s hands
fashion rough wood
as he follows the example
Of his father’s trade.
Learning, and learned
in scriptures, beyond his years.
Bending, flexing, mind and muscle
to the demands of apprenticeship:
In that, gaining independence
From the love and care
Of awed, astonished parents.
A ruggedness in the hands
that reach out determinedly,
with fingers that manipulate
potentially dangerous nails
Outstretched arms
pinioned on coarse wood.
An iconic example
of that man’s divine love.
Human, already scourged
Near death with hallmarks of barbarity.
Now groaning, twitching
wracked with the vileness of crucifixion.
In that, utterly isolated
From the love and care
Of his eternal, Almighty Father.
A withered-ness of the flesh
reaching out voluntarily
with hands pierced
by crude, vicious nails.