Splintered, dead weight of the wood on my shoulder,
Cutting. The flesh and the muscles and bones of my
Body are beaten and bruised; prodded, pulled, rodded.
Each breath comes wheezing; now squeezing up, lifting and
Breathing against the shards, pierced; press the flesh of my
Face, wrapped and round my skull, contacted, contracted,
Tightened and clamped; the hard ground comes up fast to my
Eyes and I’ve cracked my lips open and bashed my cheek
Broken; the sweat, drool, and blood drip from my chin, my nose running.
Spectral chimeras, utopian daydreamers -
Spare his Mother the sight of this spectacle.
Specter accepted, his scepter, his sacrifice.
Man of derision, despised, and mocked:
Humankind’s savior, redeemer, our steadfast rock.
-Gary Edward Geraci
“Three Times Fallen” is a sonnet written in predominately, falling, dactyl feet (4 feet per line). A dactyl foot is comprised of a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables. I’ve marked up this original concept copy with the accent marks. I conceived of this poem during my regular, Friday time in front of the Blessed Sacrament right after work. On Friday, I like to pray the Stations of the Cross as my own, Friday sacrifice and Friday offering. The Catholic Church used to prescribe that every Friday be a meatless Friday to make this sacrifice but now, except for the Friday’s during Lent where meat is prohibited, the Church leaves it up to each individual to decide how and what they will sacrifice and/or offer on all the rest of the Fridays. Regardless, this prayer allows one to carefully consider, on a regular basis, what our Lord went through to free us, to redeem us from our sinful state. An act of love no less for the entirety of our fallen human race.
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