Why not, my Lord, after what you’ve done to me,
Hurling my heart into the heaving waves off Magdala,
Leaving me on the dark shores, empty and alone?
And this morning, when there’s no need for today,
You come to me again, resplendent in your white robe,
A truth my mind rejects but my heart, my whole body
Is aching to accept. And you ask me not to touch you?
Your eyes I see again, those eyes serene and searing,
And now so distant. Look into my heart, all-knowing Master,
See the wounds left by the scourge, feel the weight of my cross,
The nails that bind me to this abject life. Take me with you,
Away from this faithless company, these grumbling men who
Know not what to do. Teach me the precepts
Of your love as I pour perfume on your feet and wipe them
With my hair. Fill me with the white light of your holiness
Lest the demons come back and torment me again
In the flames of dark desire.
Carlos Garcia Hidalgo is a long-time journalist who has worked for various publications, including Malaya, Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Standard, South China Morning Post, and Hong Kong Economic Journal (EJ Insight). He is currently working for a financial multimedia outfit based in Hong Kong.
