Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Rachel Wept

December 28, 2005, Holy Innocents. Today we remember all those boys who were killed by Herod after the birth of Jesus, in a vain attempt to preserve his own will in the face of the King of kings. My mind goes to those countless children who have been torn from their mothers' wombs because they too threaten the comfort and plans of willful human beings. God is not pleased. I weep, as . . .

Rachel wept, and wept, and wept, for her son, her son, her slain son, and comfort could not be found.

The king raged, and raged, and raged,for his power, power, earthly power, and murder was found in the land.

And ever the power of their own will, seems to give people the right to kill, and no child is safe in the land.

And empty the womb, empty the heart, where the infant in promise was living, but living could never draw breath

And ever before the shrine of "I will", or mightily driven by deep guilty fears, murder is found in the land

Rachel wept, and wept, and wept, for her child, her child, her slain child, and comfort could not be found.

Save in the arms of the One who knows the pain that flows from innocent death, and open-armed calls to the guilty

Ed Pacht

2 comments:

poetreader said...

Surprisingly it looks OK, even though the line breaks apparently didn't transmit right. I'll mark it as it was intended with sashes here:

Rachel wept, and wept, and wept, /
for her son, her son, her slain son, /
and comfort could not be found.
---------------
The king raged, and raged, and raged,/
for his power, power, earthly power, /
and murder was found in the land.
----------------
And ever the power of their own will, /
seems to give people the right to kill, and no child is safe in the land.

And empty the womb, empty the heart, /
where the infant in promise was living, /
but living could never draw breath

And ever before the shrine of "I will", /
or mightily driven by deep guilty fears, /
murder is found in the land
--------------
Rachel wept, and wept, and wept, /
for her child, her child, her slain child, /
and comfort could not be found.
----------------
Save in the arms of the One who knows /
the pain that flows from innocent death, /
and open-armed calls to the guilty
-------------------------
Ed Pacht

poetreader said...

and I missed one in the third stanza:
----------------
And ever the power of their own will, /
seems to give people the right to kill, /
and no child is safe in the land.