.

Three Denarii OBO

For Sale: One ten-foot wooden cross.
Good cedar, cypress with some pine.
The owner selling at a loss.
Used once, by Rome, to assist dying.

Some minor nail holes need repair,
The crossbeam rope is slightly frayed,
With a few bloodstains here and there.
Will sell for either cash or trade.

The cross, if copyrighted, may
Be reproduced as a design
For logos used for a display
On buildings as a neon sign.

It could be used for jewelry, too,
For earrings, necklaces and rings,
Or even, maybe, a tattoo,
Among a thousand other things.

It comes with a small wooden plaque,
That reads, in part, “King of the Jews.”
With the calligraphy in black
A claim, no doubt, meant to confuse.

Some say the man who hung and died
Upon this cross was innocent.
That Pilate had him crucified,
But should have been more lenient.

But then, or so the story goes,
The man who died rose from the dead.
But did it happen? No one knows.
But that’s what his disciples said.

The value of this cross will soar,
If what they say should turn out true,
A cash-cow, golden goose and more
For generating revenue.

But if he didn’t rise, I’d say,
Your retail schemes will take a hit.
The cross will simply go away.
And nothing more will come of it.

.

.

James A. Tweedie is a retired pastor living in Long Beach, Washington. He has written and published six novels, one collection of short stories, and three collections of poetry including Mostly Sonnets, all with Dunecrest Press. His poems have been published nationally and internationally in The Lyric, Poetry Salzburg (Austria) Review, California Quarterly, Asses of Parnassus, Lighten Up Online, Better than Starbucks, Dwell Time, Light, Deronda Review, The Road Not Taken, Fevers of the Mind, Sparks of Calliope, Dancing Poetry, WestWard Quarterly, Society of Classical Poets, and The Chained Muse. He was honored with being chosen as the winner of the 2021 SCP International Poetry Competition.

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5 Responses

  1. Roy Eugene Peterson

    This is certainly an original concept that weaves together crass materialism with the higher realms of possibility. It was a great read that I believe was intended to make us question our own uses and motivations.

    Reply
  2. Cynthia Erlandson

    Heartbreaking irony that demands repeated readings. And definitely an original idea — as far from trite as imaginable.

    Reply
  3. Paul Freeman

    Commercialization of the Cross.

    An unique look at the symbolism that will require many a re-read.

    Reply
  4. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    James, this heart-touching and thought-provoking poem, with so much said between the lines, shouts to me of today’s materialistic society where the true meaning of our existence has been lost along with the cross. I’m with Cynthia – this excellent poem demands repeated readings. Thank you.

    Reply
  5. C.B. Anderson

    Very nice, James! The more you got inside my head, the more I got into yours, and that’s how poetry should work.

    Reply

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