Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Son Of The Carpenter

Son Of The Carpenter
© Surazeus
2018 07 10

The people are all gathered on the hill
to talk about the coming of the king
who might descend on clouds of sparkling fire
to transform this world of suffering and death
into pleasant paradise of true love.
The blonde girl with the basket on her arm
places one ripe apple in every hand
and smiles with joy, but never says a word.

The river flows around the willow tree
where small birds dart and flap their silver wings.
The preacher in black robe stands on tree stump
and talks about the coming of the king,
how he will judge you for deeds you commit,
while his son follows apple girl around.
He tries to kiss her but she turns away,
so he hits her on the head with a rock.

The apple girl lies bleeding on the grass
while everyone stares at her empty eyes.
The preacher takes his son and walks away
and no one ever sees his face again.
The son of the carpenter with rough hands
kneels at her side under the glowing skies,
and cleans her wound with his shirt dipped in water,
then binds it tight to stop the gushing blood.

Bearing her limp body in trembling arms,
he lays her in his cottage by the lake,
and tends her day and night for seven weeks,
but her spirit fades in the starry night.
The people are all gathered on the hill
to bury the apple girl by the tree,
and pray the king will resurrect her soul
when he returns on clouds of sparkling fire.

Alone on the hill in sunlight and rain,
the son of the carpenter with rough hands
waters flowers with tears of his broken heart.
Following the footsteps the preacher made,
the son of the carpenter hunts them down,
goes town to town along the seaboard south,
hearing stories of his sermons on justice,
and chases his shadow for thirteen months.

Striding along ship docks in the port town
where the preacher was heard to sermonize,
the son of the carpenter with rough hands
sees the son of the preacher grab a girl
and try to rape her in dim alleyway.
The milk maid tries to escape his strong hands
and screams afraid when he hits her head hard,
but he clamps her mouth and tears her skirt open.

The son of the carpenter grabs his arm
and pulls him away to set the girl free
who stares in his eyes, then flees for her life.
The son of the preacher punches his face,
and pulls out a knife with sharp piercing blade
that he thrusts forward to stab in his heart,
so the son of the carpenter grabs shovel
and bashes in his skull till he falls dead.

Large crowd of people gather at a scream,
and see the poor man in old ragged coat
holding the bloody shovel in both hands
as he stands panting over the dead man
dressed in a new coat and shiny black shoes.
The preacher howls that he murdered his son,
so the soldiers lock him in the jail house
where he thinks about apple girl all night.

Sitting in court, packed with the angry crowd,
the son of the carpenter explains how
the son of the preacher killed apple girl
and also was trying to rape the milk maid.
Lifting up his hand, rough from working wood,
he declares that he performed will of God
to punish the man who murdered the girl,
because men should treat women with respect.

The preacher declares God alone can judge,
then shouts that he tells lies about his son,
for his son was a good and pious man,
and the murderer is the spawn of Satan.
The old judge wearing a wig of white hair
condemns son of the carpenter to die,
so they drag him out to the large town square
where they wind the strong rope around his neck.

The people are all gathered in the square
where the son of the carpenter stands tall
on the scaffold with rope around his neck.
He gazes at the empty sky and laughs,
declaring they are all deluded fools
for believing the lies the preacher tells,
for he promises them eternal life
but walks away with the money they give.

The preacher pulls the lever with a snarl
so the son of the carpenter falls hard
and hangs dangling under the silver sky.
The people cheer the death of the poor man
who murdered the pious son of the preacher,
then sing sweet hymns of faith in God above
who will descend on clouds of sparkling fire
to transform this world into paradise.

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