Remember Me

Criminals to the left and right,

Jesus was crucified front-and-center,

as if he somehow might escape

if not completely surrounded.

Mercy was his plea, as the economics

of death played out; soldiers gambling

for the clothes he would never need again:

“Father, forgive them;

they don’t know what they are doing.”

From one side or the other,

hoping against the crowd’s disbelief,

one thief’s anger unfurls,

raising the flag of criminal camaraderie,

begging for and yet demanding

deliverance by association, sans contrition.

From the other side, with no leg

but honesty to stand on,

another thief’s plea for mercy pours:

“Jesus, remember me when you

come into your kingdom.”

“Remember me…” he begs,

as if he knows how powerful a weapon

memory can be against the army of coercion;

as if he already understands how foundational

it is for faith: “This do in remembrance of me.”

Silence to the first thief, as if he might still

have an opportunity to respond differently;

hope and promise to the second:

“Truly I tell you, today you will

be with me in Paradise.”

Our king; our promise. Thanks be to God!

© 2013 Todd Jenkins