This week’s poem in the Catholic Poetry Room is by Cynthia Erlandson.
Palm Sunday: Two Mindscapes
Hosanna! We will be delivered – finally!
Father, I will trust in you, who will deliver me.
We’ve waited long – the Romans have forsaken us!
Passing through this crowd, I feel my own forsakenness.
This king will be the death of Roman tyranny!
I know that I am riding to my death upon this donkey.
Cheer loudly! Wave your palms! This man’s the one we’ll follow!
I love them, but their cheers sound like a blur. Their zeal rings hollow.
He heals sick, suffering people! It’s miraculous!
My Father, please allow my cup of suffering to pass.
He’ll save us from our overlong adversity!
I’ve saved so many others, yet myself I cannot free.
Today’s our day of triumph! Join the grand parade!
They’ll call it my triumphal entry. Then I’ll be betrayed.
He’ll conquer Rome today! We’ll crown him king tomorrow!
The crown they’ll put on me will be the crowning of my sorrow.
Come, everyone, and spread your garments! He is near!
They’ll strip me of my garments, part them, and the veil will tear.
Cut down more palms, and make a carpet on his path!
They’ll pierce my palms and feet and side, and watch my painful death.
We’d be foolish not to follow where he’s going!
Forgive this foolish crowd, because they don’t know what they’re doing.
Cynthia Erlandson is a poet and fitness professional. Her three collections are These Holy Mysteries, poems for the church year; Notes on Time, a tribute to the themes of time and music; and Foundations of the Cross and Other Bible Stories, which was published last year by Wipf and Stock. Her poems have appeared in The Book of Common Praise hymnal, First Things, The Society of Classical Poets, The Catholic Poetry Room, Modern Age, and elsewhere. She is a Top Four winner of the 2023 Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest.
