The First Eucharist, by Sasha A. Palmer

The Last Supper, by Leonardo Da Vinci (Italy) 1495-1498

The First Eucharist

They gather round Him, Jesus breaks the bread,
They kneel, they close their eyes, they bow their heads
In reverent silence. Do they understand
The meaning of this meal? Does His command
Do this in memory of me make sense
To these imperfect men whose innocence,
The lack of knowledge is profound? The one
Who’s hiding in the shadows, almost gone,
Clutching a bag of coins that burns his hand --
Perhaps he is the one who understands,
Who feels it most. The others, old and young--
When Jesus quietly says, “Extend your tongue,”--
What do they know, but deep unwavering trust,
A firmly held conviction that they must
Obey His will? They ponder not, instead
Like little children one by one they’re fed
With simple food that purges souls of strife --
The bread that tastes like rain, like snow, like life.

Sasha A. Palmer

Sasha A. Palmer is a Russian-born award-winning poet and translator, who currently lives in Baltimore, MD. Sasha’s poetry, translations and essays appeared in Writer’s Digest, Slovo/Word, Cardinal Points and elsewhere. Sasha has a thing for the word “amateur” and tries to follow the motto she has created: Live for the Love of it. Visit Sasha at www.sashaapalmer.com