His Last Words Poem by Yaritza Florencio

The heavens open up in showers
Open the gate shall soon be
Those cowards now bet on the hours
The man on the cross is whom they’ve come to see

The soldiers have played his clothes away
His mother and his friend are the only two
And now the man looks up to say
Forgive them; they know not what they do

He looks at the ones to his right and left
One is truly not worthy to apprise
Both are charged with theft
He tells one “today you shall be in paradise”

He now looks up at his father
He asks “Have you forgotten me? ”
He then looks down at his mother
And understands that this couldn’t be

Once he gave to us his mother
With vinegar they quenched his thirst
He saw that it was finished there was no other
And now with his last strength his spirit burst

With surprising strength he said the words
And though what he said did not last a minute
Through the air they ripped like swords
Father in thy hands I commit my spirit