J….. COAT
J….. we welcomed you,
we crowded round to meet you
we were so grateful to see you
touch you, hold you tight.
Never was a child more wanted
never was a child more blessed
never was there more evidence of God’s hand stretched out to
lovingly caress.
We caressed you too
enjoyed each and every moment
of your life touching ours.
of the reality of your living flesh
We needed to know you, J…..
To appreciate every tiny moment of your creation
knowing we would come face to face with fear
Satan, is this then your worst?
That a small bundle of loveliness
should move from life into eternity?
I thought it should have held more terror
than a peaceful moment of breath cut short;
that very beat of here and there
that very second, J….. transformed.
I saw his flesh part company
like a coat
gently sliding from his form
discarded, thrown away
an empty relic to an earthly life
that no longer held him fast.
His form fell still
silent, soft and empty,
an abandoned garment
still warmly pliable.
A movement from the loving cradle of his mother’s arms
into the all-embracing tenderness,
the absolute security,
the total nourishment,
the pain free celebration,
of the actual living, breathing, tactile, eternal reality
of Jesus.