Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Jerry HarpApril 16, 2001

"He observed the wrappings on the ground and saw the piece of cloth
which had covered the head not lying with the wrappings,
but rolled up in a place by itself. "

Was it like waking up after long sleep,
throwing off the wrappings, then rolling
up the head cloth because it was nearest

to hand that morning he came to
before the stone gave way?
Maybe, sitting there a moment,

unsure of where or who he was,
he rubbed his eyes, waiting for
something to come back, then took

the wrapping in his hands, feeling
the texture and give of the cloth
that allowed the old world in,

fibrous, dense, and shifting. Then,
as the memories began to filter in,
he must have rolled the cloth (as he'd

been taught), and laid it aside, before
he followed the two in dazzling robes
into the unfamiliar day.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Octavia Butler, the Black science fiction writer who died in 2006, did not just create imaginary worlds with parallels to ours. Sometimes she created worlds that are eerily a little too much like our own.
James T. KeaneFebruary 04, 2025
The U.S. bishops have been measured in their response to the new administration’s avalanche of activity, reserving sharp criticism on points of divergence while not hesitating to praise him for his actions in areas where they find alignment.
Connor HartiganFebruary 04, 2025
I am a woman at war within myself, in sight of two well-armed realities, my faith life suspended in the center. I think of the two sides of this spiritual DMZ as Creed and Culture.
Valerie SchultzFebruary 04, 2025
We often hear from readers who worry about how to pass the Catholic faith on to their children. This week’s episode of Jesuitical takes this question and looks at it in reverse.
JesuiticalFebruary 04, 2025