Passion Play

By Jose A. Alcantara

The men in white collars
worship the crucified Christ

or what passes for it –
a soft-fleshed boy on a bed

stripped naked,
arms spread, ankles crossed.

They shoot polaroids
to share with other men

of God, those not lucky
enough to be there

that day, on Golgotha,
when the innocent wept

and even thieves
begged forgiveness.

 Jose A. Alcantara has worked as a bookseller, mailman, commercial fisherman, baker, carpenter, studio photographer, door-to-door salesman, and math teacher. He is a former Fishtrap Fellow and was the winner of the 2017 Patricia Bibby Memorial Scholarship from Tebot Bach. His poems have appeared in Poetry Daily, The Southern Review, Spillway, Rattle, High Desert Journal, San Pedro River Review, Pilgrimage, Spoon River Poetry Review, and the anthologies, 99 Poems for the 99%, and America, We Call Your Name: Poems of Resistance and Resilience. His poetry has been nominated for both a Pushcart and Best of the Net.

Photo credit: Photo by lAI mAN nUNG on Unsplash.