This time it isn’t stealing. Take and eat.
I AM the risen tree of life, the seed
Who, buried in good soil, grew to feed
You from my very limbs. My fruit is sweet:
Its flesh and wine will feed your spirit. Take
And eat. Don’t let the memory of the snake
Keep haunting you. I conquered him for good.
You fell; but from your bottomless defeat
I took the curse, reversing his deceit,
By offering my body and my blood.
I’ve won this war as Man, as well as God.
You’re made with thirst and hunger to awake
Desire for me. My blood is juice that quenches
Your deepest longing. Reach up to my branches
And take the food that satisfies your ache.
Commune with me, and make your joy complete.
Fear not. This is my body. Take and eat.
Cynthia Erlandson is a poet and fitness professional. Her poems have appeared in First Things, Modern Age, The Society of Classical Poets, The Book of Common Praise hymnal, and elsewhere. Her two collections of poetry are These Holy Mysteries, published in 2005, and Notes on Time, published in 2021, both through AuthorHouse.