Kathryn Wright

When the light of the world dipped low
And twilight enclosed,
Do you suppose
The sweat from his brow dripped down¹
Onto the dust-formed ground?²

With calloused hands, would he lay the plow
As the glow of the fire sparked anew?
Do you suppose the man would groan
As he turned to find his way home
And thought about me and you?³

Would the woman squint to see as the shadows grew thin,
While murder⁴ slept in her arms…
Would grief grip at the first sight of him,
As the flecks of gray on his face
Reflected back the price they pay?⁵

Or would she think of grace
And of the coolness of the days?⁶

Would they speak of the trees—
How their limbs bowed with fruit^,7
Of the moss at their feet
And the peace they once knew?
Would they sigh at the thought
Of the nights that they shared?
Of the innocence and unimpaired?⁸

Or would they recall
How their fingers stuck…
As the juice from the fruit⁹
Covered their hands;
How they plucked the leaves
To hide their shame;¹⁰
How they laid the blame¹¹
On another?
Do you suppose the mother
Of all the living¹² ever spoke of how He came,
Calling out the sinner’s name?¹³

Do you suppose,
In shame-filled tones
As the fire would grow dim,
These ancients would whisper
And huddle close,
And speak of the days they walked with Him

In the garden?

When the bride of Christ would gather
In crammed and sweaty rooms—¹⁴
Sleepy-eyed and tired—
To hear about her Groom,¹⁵
Do you suppose,
As the meeting closed
And hands rubbed wearied eyes,
Two figures sitting set apart
Would share a silent, knowing spark?

As the body knelt down to pray
Would they ponder on His grace?

Would the two speak of the trees,
How the grapes hung low on the vine,
Of the springtime in the breeze
That rippled through Gethsemane?¹⁶
In unspoken grief, would they recall the peace
Of bellies full of lamb?
How they struggled to withstand blissful sleep¹⁷
In the presence of the I AM?¹⁸
Or would one recall the sweat He shed,¹⁹
The other his blood-soaked hands,²⁰
As one by one, they all had fled²¹
And left the Son of Man?

Do you suppose,
With quivering lips
As the crowd would grow thin,
The apostles would whisper
While leaning in,
And speak of when they walked with Him

In the garden

When the Light of the world speaks anew²²
And darkness scatters off,²³
Do you suppose we’ll wear shoes
For who will worry about the dust?²⁴

Do you suppose–
As the nations grow²⁵
And gather to take the leaves,²⁶
One by one, with jubilee––
They’ll praise the Lamb born King?

Will you follow the path drawn by the stream²⁷
And pluck a fruit borne by the tree
Found in the center of the street?²⁸
Perhaps—
You’ll even sit with me.

Will we speak of the feasts
We have yet to plan,
Of cities we have yet to build?
Will we chat about uncharted lands
We still have yet to fill?
And drawing near with outstretched hands,
With uncontainable thrill—

When we see Him face to face²⁹
And all we’ll know is grace upon grace…

Do you suppose,
In joy-filled tones,
We’ll trim the trees with hymns…
And in the coolness of the day,
With all His glory on display,
Once again, we’ll walk with Him

In the garden?

__________

¹ Genesis 3:17.

² Genesis 3:18-19.

³ Rom 5:12.

⁴ Genesis 4:1, 8.

⁵ Genesis 2:17.

⁶ Genesis 3:8.

⁷ Genesis 2:8-9, 16.

⁸ Genesis 2:25.

⁹ Genesis 3:6.

¹⁰ Genesis 2:25; 3:7.

¹¹ Genesis 3:12-13.

¹² Genesis 3:20.

¹³ Genesis 3:9.

¹⁴ Acts 1:13-14.

¹⁵ Acts 20:7-9.

¹⁶ John 18:1.

¹⁷ Mark 14:37-38, 40-41.

¹⁸ John 18:6.

¹⁹ Luke 22:44.

²⁰ John 18:10.

²¹ Mark 14:50.

²² Genesis 1:3; Rev 21:5, 23.

²³ Revelation 22:5.

²⁴ Revelation 22:3.

²⁵ Revelation 21:24-26; Isa 9:7.

²⁶ Revelation 22:2.

²⁷ Revelation 22:1.