HUNG ON THE CROSS
(A Collection of Poems)
Compiled and Edited
By
Carlos Luis
DEDICATED TO
EVERY CHRISTIAN ACROSS THE WORLD WHO IS READILY WILLING TO SACRIFICE HIS/HER LIFE FOR CHRIST AND TO EVERYONE WHO LOVES CHRIST IMMENSELY…….
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Carlos Luis
Carlos Luis was born and brought up in Varca, Goa. His determination in whatever he does has proved him successful. He is a topper in English literature from Loyola College, Chennai. At present he is a book reviewer, blogger, poet, and short story writer. He took to writing when his debut short story titled, “Twin Triumphs” was published by ‘The Hindu’ newspaper. He writes about whatever touches his heart and makes a lasting impression on him. Recently, his short stories and poems have been published in many bestselling anthologies. He has also written for magazines and journals like, “Rally,” “Smart Companion,” “Mother News,” “Vision,” and “Prabodhana.” He has a dream- to train children in the path of knowledge and give the youth a sense of purpose in their lives. He has been a strong agent of change through his provocative writing in the local newspapers in Goa. He has an intrinsic quality to make friends easily and treasure memories deep down in his heart. He is a lover of nature. He has published his debut book titled, “Rays and Ripples” and edited an anthology titled, “The Red Balloons: A Journey of Love.”
CONTACT HIM:
Frequency: 08884592071 / 08975042276
Email Id: luicarlsac@yahoo.co.in
Blog: www.luicarlsac1990.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carl_luis1990
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carlos.luis.311493
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
When I at first began to do this anthology I just made an announcement on Facebook regarding it. But the response was quite meager but there were two humble souls who felt the need to make it big and assisted me to make this anthology on Christ a grand success. I would like to take this as the best opportunity to thank them: Dr. Ampat Koshy and Mr. Daipayan Nair.
A special thanks to my Pallottine family; Fathers and Brothers for nurturing the writer within me and most of all for instilling in me the desire to love Christ.
INTRODUCTION
It was 2000 and more years back when Christ Jesus hung on the cross and gave up his life for our sake. That self-giving was total and fantastic that even till date we remember and commemorate in our liturgies. As in the season of lent we remind ourselves of that excruciating pain that Jesus Christ went through for our sake. Let this collection of poems be a reflective agency of that exemplary sacrifice. May these poems help us to love Christ and reach God, through Him. May these poems be our lovely prayers intertwined with our emotions.
Enjoy reading and reflecting on the passion of Christ.
POETS INCLUDED
Ency Bearis
Satabdi Banerjee
Snigdha Jha
Rajdeep Chowdhury
Aakash Sagar Chouhan
Tapeshwar Prasad
Kavita Panyam
Pratima Apte
Anindita Bose
Gauri Dixit
Smaranika Roy
Mou Sircar
Ritamvara Bhattacharya
Fatima Afshan
Sunanda Bhadra
Arputharaj Devaraj
Anindita Dash
Marshall G. Kent Sr.
Tina Acharya
Gary Manz
Megha Rana
Diptendu Chakraborty
Marshall G. Kent Sr.
Daipayan Nair
Gina Ancheta Agsaulio
Vineetha Mekkoth
Himali Narang
Precious Chilongozi
Geethanjali Dilip
Lily Swarn
Shalini Samuel
Ronald Tuhin D'Rozario
Ampat Koshy
Swapna Behera
Carlos Luis
When I look at you hung on the cross
heart frets not... Divine Love has risen!
© Jen Walls 2016
POEM 1
OH, INRI
When I look at you hung on the cross
INRI sign I saw, my emotion carried upon you
And it touched my heart with sense of chaos
I felt that sacrifices you went through
Blood you let bleed to humanity bestowed
To efface from our faces the committed sins
Pearly drops from my eyes flowed
I felt the salty pain deep to my skins
And touched my senses - I felt numb
But I admired you as one of Almighty Gurus
Oh INRI - Ieusus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum
Jesus of Nazareth, The King of Jews
Oh Lord - the King of all Kings
I pray upon you for my blessings
© Ency Bearis 2016
POEM 2
When I look at you hung on the cross,
I embark...
When I look at you hung on the cross,
I reflect...
When, I look at you hung on the cross,
I realize...
Tears seep in penetration..
Drop by drop
Piercing every ripe vein of my heart..
My heart in reflection through my eyes,
Seeps in sucks in a core...
When I look at you hung on the cross,
Your words echos in haunting melancholy..
"Father Oh Father in heaven! Forgive them....have mercy Father.....as they don't realize their deeds".
How many more...how long again...
Shall prophets and saviours cry our retribution....
A call unbelled from our within...alark!
I weep in regret, I cry in your holy gratitude our saviour of sins......
When I look at you hung on the cross.
I pledge my crucifixion one day...
In tribute to your almighty..
Bearing sins in agony..
Yet in pleasing union with my godliness, with you my shepherd...
When, I look at you hung on the cross. Amen
© Satabdi Banerjee 2016
POEM 3
When I look at you hung on the cross
I am overwhelmed with with an unbearable sense of loss
O ' Jesus my saviour my boss
I love thee from my heart's deepest cores
It tears my heart apart and
And my blood begins
To boil when I
Empathise with the pain
You might have undergone
When you were crucified
What a sight it would have
Been to see you
O ' saviour hanged
Bleeding profusely
U hardly complained
Or prophasise
But look how we
Ordinary mortals
Are making a mockery
Of your sacrifice
Bogged down by
Mental Strifes
We indulge in pseudo
Fights
Without any genuine cause
Hatred, ostentation and
Jealousy
Have become our
Daily dose
We pride ourselves
On materialistic gains
Little knowing that
It is nothing more
Than a tightening
Of attachment 's noose
Save Lord O' my merciful
Master
From these
So that we stand
Enlightened before
Our demise and
Lead
life with our fellow
Human beings enamoured
With compassion and
Compromise
© Snigdha Jha 2016
POEM 4
When I look at you hung on the cross
The core sobs copiously at the inevitable loss
Spite has subjugated serenity that subsisted
Compassion has been impaired with scars inflicted
The trouncing is superfluous, intricate to coup
Pardon apiece delinquent who eventually stoop
Eradicating all sort of bliss to the humanity
Moment to seek redemption and clasp chastity
© Rajdeep Chowdhury 2016
POEM 5
You Hung on The Cross
When I look at you hung on the Cross,
A holy place for skulls to remorse;
Even Mount Golgotha quaked,
Crucified time got froze;
And a sepulchred scripture unfolds.
Thy headed ahead to bleed,
Dethroned barbed wires a thorny greed,
The barbarians crowned a King to prick.
They whipped whacks,
Mocked and spat in wrath;
A forsaken son beaten blue and black.
Then a Carpenter at thirty three,
Dragged his death;
And nails for free.
In a carried frame of an eternal guilt,
The written sin;
Which makes no meaning,
For anybody's kill.
We love the way Jehovah loves,
God still guides;
And the cattle walks;
He leads the herd.
His bearded cheek,
Still offers a second slap to clap;
The resurrection waits,
For a blasphemy to relapse.
© Aakash Sagar Chouhan 2016
POEM 6
When I look at you hung on the cross
Never I waver from my faithful path, that
Thee had shown the heart in righteousness and purity
I may shudder by my trembling hands, as
I look blood dripping down thy face
But,
To Ward off sinners from their thick sheath
I resurrect my being, anew
With compassion and kindness to them
When I look at you hung on the cross
Believe me, I also pine to be with you
To take a holy sip to my vision and mind:
Not to take guilt on the cross, but
To drain out body and the blood
Taking sins of all the sinners
I may mumble in quietude
The pain of your heart, but
My rosary will count eternity
Casting humble glance
© Tapeshwar Prasad 2016
POEM 7
To save mankind from self created evils
That linger on like Satan and devil
When I look at you hung on the cross
I remember the great cause
The day mankind was graced
And the noble deed ever praised
When I look at you hung on the cross
Words fail me, always at a loss
The thought that a lot has to be learnt
From your deeds across
Pride, ego and jealousy must be burnt
When I look at you hung on the cross
Your blood shall not go in vain
For I shall rouse myself awake
Understanding the cause
When I look at you hung on the cross
There will come a day soon
Living upto the goals of the boon
And before comittting any sins, pause
When I look at you hung on the cross
© Kavita Panyam 2016
POEM 8
When I look at you hung on the cross,
I feel it was all in vain, boss!
Familiarity breeds contempt!
Nonchalance gross!
People look at you and look away unmoved,
Not unnerved!
Sinners couldn't care less
Forgiven or not!
When realisation hits them,
They will come to nought.
Taken for granted is your visage ,
Like the sun and moon which everyday arise,
All your edifices are just that,
Things to be posed with in snapshots,
Spiritually bankrupt!
Yet, please love the child,
The father you castigate,
And punish
The adult in us.
© Pratima Apte 2016
POEM 9
When I look at you hung on the cross
my curious mind begins to ask
why you were not believed by some
and who played the human's boss
to decide that you are not son of God
but a common flesh who has no rights
to spread words of love
When I look at you hung on the cross
my eyes remain tearless in the thoughts
why you always smiled in the midst of
harsh words and disbelieving souls
who spread hatred and words of war
and convinced the cosmos to turn into
chaos and kill goodness
When I look at you hung on your cross
my heart burns in secret desire to take
birth in your time and stop you from
giving hopes, dreams and strength
to humans who would kiss the Judas
but a voice within echoes: “And the
Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” *
When I look at you hung on your cross
my silence is heard in the empty Church
and centuries later I feel the connection
of beliefs merging in time and space and
creating waves of images
and We become You and I, I and You, We
and They, They and Me in reflections...
© Anindita Bose 2016
(* Bible in John 1:14: "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." )
POEM 10
When I look at you hung on the cross
A wave of melancholia sweeps
Was it really worth the deep loss
Giving your life for our sins in heaps
Now we fight in your name
And spread hatred in the name of love
It is all just the game of blame
As we indiscriminately kill the dove
When I look at you hung on the cross
I wish you would again come back
Show us that you are the boss
And for our sins let us take the flak
© Gauri Dixit 2016
POEM 11
When I look at You hung on the Cross,
I smile.
I smile on my sins-
Multiplying in number,
And unfathomable in depth.
They say, You came
And took their sins too.
I ask them, then why they still
Carry the blood stains on their hands?
They turn their red eye
And call it 'Blasphemy'!
I,again, look at You hung on the Cross,
And now You smile back.
© Smaranika Roy 2016
POEM 12
When I look at You hung on a cross,
I feel sad and I feel at loss!
Only a Man can be so cruel,
And torture Others so brutal,
And for what???
Power and Belief,
Religion and Greed,
Lust and Deceit!
I sin, You Sin, We all Sin,
But someone has to pay for all our deeds!
God chose You... My Son of God!
To show us how badly we have sinned,
O Jesus!... I cried in disbelief at the cruelty in
Us,
As the nails were hammered on to your palms,
As the nail was hammered on to your tendons,
As the thorny crown was put on your head,