Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
Mark 15:15
As we reflect on the violence that is a part of Holy Week and give thanks for the young people who are calling us to work together to end gun violence in our country, I thought I would share this poem with you. I wrote it when we lived in Dorchester, MA over 25 years ago. It was originally shared in “Called to be Peacemakers,” a play by the Just Peace Players.
Dorchester Gun
The other day I almost bought a gun.
Cold, glittering its deadly eye winked at me
from behind the counter at K-Mart.
For Only $49.95 plus bullets
I could have power in my pocket, a big bang to protect me.
I was frightened in my neighborhood.
Tires slashed, purses snatched, windshields smashed
all for no apparent reason…
Then, in the middle of the night…I awoke to tapping…
While Sassy the cat was hissed on the landing the persistent tapping went on and on…
Someone was trying to break in, to rape, to rob, to murder us!
We called 911 and flashed the lights.
By the time the cops arrived the tappers were gone,
holes in the plastic window frame all they left behind.
Except a legacy of fear!
If they had chopped their way in we would have been defenseless.
I felt powerless.
In my heart I know I would have done whatever was necessary
to protect us.
If I heard footsteps on the stairs I would have shot them in a minute….
If I only had a gun.
The gun kept winking at me.
Maybe it would go on sale.
I didn’t buy it, but planned where it would go, and put a flashlight there for practice.
A few nights later, I heard footsteps on the stairs.
I grabbed my flashlight and pulled the trigger… [As the Actor speaks this line he/she pulls the flashlight out of the pocket, turning it on and pointing it at the audience.]
Sassy the cat was bathed in light
Debbie was right behind.
Both dead if my flashlight had been a gun.
Hope holder, may we find new ways to retain our constitutional freedoms and make space for a country that is free from gun violence. May the people in power respond to the people that have the power as we demand change. This we pray in the name of the one who was scourged and crucified in your name. Amen