I was there

After 2 Corinthians 6:3-13

I was there when they came

with pikes and sticks and rocks

and often felt the pain

of stick and rock against skin

I was there when they came

chains and locks

dragging me through filth

into a darkened cell with rats

and lice and roaches for cellmates

I was there when the mob

screamed for my head, my blood

demanding my life for a perception

a rumor

I was there when they plotted

to kill me, when they were so

filled with hate that they

lashed and struck with reeds

I was there.

So was he.

Photograph by Louis Blythe via Unsplash. Used with permission.