Silence

John 19:16-19

Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

How can silence be so deafening?

The discarded wood of the cross creaks gently

as bloody rags flutter in the breeze

The hillside, heaving with humanity just a few hours ago

is now deserted, eerily quiet.

Folk have wandered home,

spectacle over,

not the high jinks anticipated

just another political crucifixion

served up as propaganda,

a warning to others who might consider

stirring up dissent.

All that hype of Messiah talk - 

just another delusional magician

who couldn't magic his way

out of execution.

The place of the skull is empty

and those who do venture out of the city

hurry past, shuddering at its eeriness,

struck by the silence that hangs

like a visible pall

over the place

where the criminals were killed.

It is a silence charged and pulsating

a silence that feels as though

it's about to burst.

All is not well.

There is something terrible in that silence

As though hell is about to burst through

and only God can prevent it.