Eleanor Henderson

The Nazarene

You will likely think my tale outrageous.
Be not afraid: I’m not contagious.
I am a scientist, in part,
Who investigates the workings of the heart.

I lately chanced into a space —
Unawares I tumbled and have not landed.
It’s not a bad place to be stranded —
Here peace abides, and wears love’s face.

A letter came one day, and then
A call. “Will you join us in
Our celebration?” Who could say no?
And within the very hour, I was set to go.

With a freshened mind and point of view
I hurtled toward a rendez-vous.
Buoyed by music, wind, and golden light
I raced the setting sun against the dark of night.

In the slipstream of mighty 101,
In its steady, pulsing hum,
A traveler’s eye might wander
Toward the many works and wonders
That abut that great highway.
Among the many that I passed that day,
A certain building caught my eye.
Its top was open, framed against the sky,
Where naught should be but light and air,
I saw a human figure there.
Still he stood, inturned, serene —
I recognized the Nazarene,
Who had the gentle power still,
To sync awareness to his will,
To reach across two thousand years
And soothe a heart so very full of tears.

He looked back toward whence I’ve come —
I never caught his gaze —
And dissolved a thousand threads of woe
In my internal maze.

What came next I cannot really say.
“All is love,” I whispered to the wind,
Who whispered back “The vibrant center of our lives is love.”
And so it was that day.
Borne safe in the highway’s gentle wind
I turned a corner into journey’s end,
And joined the family in warm anticipation
Of the next day’s joyful celebration.
The day dawned clear beside the sea
And surpassed all hopes for my family.

Peace, alas, is not a constant friend.
It’s lost and found, and found and lost again.
His after-image lingers — I am grateful for the sight.
I see it best when golden day turns to silken night.
It leads me to the enigmatic place
Where peace abides, and wears love’s face.

As a postscript, I would like to say
That rhyme and meter are OK.

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