Passion Redoublé (11)

Sonnet/Station No. 11 - Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross
Then on the tree, our Lord is crucified,
And Matthew, Mark, Luke, John tell it the same:
The guards cast lots (as David prophesized)
To win the poor man’s garments…in a game.
Two bad guys are concurrently dismissed,
Both crucified for real crimes and vice.
One mocks our Lord! The other, though, hears this:
“Today you’ll be with me in Paradise.”
At noon, the sun grows just too sad to shine;
Retreating who knows where, as darkness rules.
And then at 3:00, this good man, so maligned,
Into his Father’s hands, commends his soul.
“It is finished.” Still the haunting echo rings,
And on that tree, he dies, this King of kings.