TRIDUUM – Chris McDonnell

Triduum

‘and high among the stars sweeps

the white cloud of the Easter visitor’

I– Thursday

Stripped          to bare stone

                     this empty place

gathered         the words of early evening.

                      There

                     we took the food

                     we have no right

                    to take

                     for hunger hurts.

     Small         hand-held fires

                     lit darkness

                     till our arrival

   where         we sang simple woven words

                     to long fingered strings.

     Left          in silence

                               left

II – Friday

Now the word

is gone

Now the time

is over

Now the pain

is come

Now the hope

is lost

Now the tree

is bare

Now the lamb

Is dumb

Now the dark

is here

III – Saturday

With the setting of the sun

search the heavens and the earth

seek in these evening hours

the stillness and wonder of Dawn

when this darkness, drifting

through these empty hours,

                           breaks

and light of cockcrow

turns the shadow of this empty lodging

            gaze in wonder at the heavens

                       and touch this turning

IV – Sunday

Then speak the Word.