THE GOSPEL, BEFORE MY EYES

Israel Pilgrimage—1986

It happened so fast

so naturally

in Jerusalem's Cardo

while I was

in Israel

on pilgrimage

that I didn’t grasp

the profound significance

until afterward—

Double doors opened

A tall bearded man

wearing a yarmulke

entered at a leisurely pace

Moments later

the doors were pushed again

by a sobbing boy

no more than five or six

He ran in, wailing:

Abba…Abba!

Abba… Abba!

The father turned around

and swooped his child

into his arms

In an instant

the boy's tears

turned

to laughter

Maude's Poems